Late goals lift Wash back to state soccer (w/video)

It was a little bit of brashness, a little bit of braggadocio. And probably a little bit of youth.

"We're going all the way through, man," Cedar Rapids Washington's Jack Sundermann said Saturday after his Warriors scored twice late for a 2-0 win over Waterloo West in a Class 3A boys' soccer substate at Kingston Stadium. "We're taking the state title this year. No problem."

You've got to admire the sophomore forward's chutzpah. The fifth-ranked Warriors (16-3) return to Des Moines next week for the second year in a row and the third time in four years.

Obviously they expect a better result than last year's first-round exit.

"Our goal is to win the whole thing, and it has been all year," said Wash Coach J.P. Graham. "Sometimes that first step, the substate finals, tightens kids up."

Graham sensed his guys began feeling pressure as the minutes ticked off the clock and there still was no clear winner. West (11-9) played the Warriors within a goal in the regular season, and this one was even tighter.

The turning point came with 8:46 left when diving West goalkeeper Zak Kohlmeyer and a Wahawk defender were called for upending Wash's Kimu Kasha in the box. Austin Bergstrom converted the ensuing penalty kick.

"Yeah, a little bit," said the left-footed Bergstrom, when asked if he was nervous on his PK. "I've taken a few before, so I just wanted to do the same thing I (always) do."

Sundermann put the game away with 1:16 left, catching a forward-pushing West on a counter attack. Camron Harrison earned the shutout in net.

"I just told them don't get frustrated," said Graham. "Because when you're kind of the favored team, and you're not scoring goals, you tend to tighten up a little bit, maybe. Your touches aren't as good as you'd like. The main thing was we had to relax and play our style."

"We came out and kind of expected to blow through them, but they played hard," Sundermann said. "We finally battled through it."

Here's a short video interview with Sundermann and a link to state tournament pairings. Washington will meet Bettendorf in a 3A first-rounder Thursday at 5:

http://www.iahsaa.org/soccer/index.html

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