Union's 1st loss comes at state tourney ... again

MUSCATINE - Following postgame tradition, they formed a circle around Noel Mahood near midfield.

As the girls leaned forward with arms around each other, Mahood - a junior midfielder - hesitated with her head down and hands on her hips. Finally she said "We are ..."

Her teammates responded with "Union."

It was as half-hearted a chant as you could possibly get, though you understood why. It's tough to lose for the first time in the state championship game. For a second year in a row.

"It's been a great season," LaPorte City Union Coach Lizzie Zondo said after second-ranked Davenport Assumption beat her top-rated club in Saturday afternoon's Class 1A title game, 3-1. "It's been great coaching this team."

It should be great coaching it next season, too, since defender Ashley Frush is the lone senior. It'll be a club with a lot of seniors who have unfinished business.

The Knights finished 18-1. They were 20-1 last season, losing to Cedar Rapids Xavier in the 1A championship. They went 21-1 in 2009, losing to Xavier in the state semifinals.

So close, yet, so far.

"We've learned that both teams want it really bad," said junior goalkeeper Whitney Blunt. "Even though we thought this was our year, we need to (bring it) more and attack it. A lot of us starters are going to be seniors next year. It's our last year, so we're going to come out really hard. We want it."

Assumption (21-1) broke a 1-1 tie with an Allison Bush goal midway through the second half. A pass in the penalty box deflected off a Union defender and Assumption's Rose Ripslinger directly to Bush, who pumped a shot from straight on past Blunt.

Union pushed late to tie it back up, with Kelsey Ewald having the best chance after picking up a loose ball at the top of the box with about 14 minutes left. Her shot sailed high over the goal.

Ripslinger put it away, breaking free through a drawn-up Union defense and pooching a shot past Blunt with 3.6 seconds remaining. Lexi Flynn scored off a corner kick at the seven-minute mark for Assumption, with Kaley Grosse tying it for Union at the 31-minute mark.

"We made a few critical mistakes, and they made us pay," Zondo said. "It just wasn't our day."

This was Assumption's third state soccer championship, its first since 2003. Only Assumption, Cedar Rapids Xavier and Dubuque Wahlert have won 1A titles.

This is the first year of a three-class tournament. It went from one to two classes in 2002.

Here is the Class 1A all-tournament team:

Mary Kate Fennelly (Davenport Assumption)

Brittany Frush (Union)

Regan McLaughlin (Waterloo Columbus)

Kirsten Gobell (Sioux City Heelan)

Brooke Herbst (Sioux City Heelan)

Ashlee Sinnott (Waterloo Columbus)

Danielle Moore (Davenport Assumption)

Whitney Blunt (Union)

Haley Fox (Davenport Assumption)

Kylie Powell (LaPorte City Union)

Captain - Rose Ripslinger (Davenport Assumption)

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