Cedar Rapids Xavier routs Grinnell in girls' soccer regional final

CEDAR RAPIDS — The assistant referee's flag could have been the story of the first half.

Cedar Rapids Xavier's girls' soccer team changed that quickly and ruthlessly.

The fifth-ranked Saints scored six goals in the final 12 minutes of the first half and pummeled Grinnell 9-0 in a Class 2A regional final Monday at HECO Field.

After a one-year absence, Xavier (12-4) returns to the state tournament for the 11th time in 12 years and will play No. 4 ADM/Van Meter (17-2) in the quarterfinals at 2:45 p.m. Thursday in Des Moines.

'The disappointment last year, they made it a motivator and we've seen the results this year,' Xavier Coach Chris Higgins said.

The late first-half onslaught followed a frustrating start for the Saints. Offside flags were prevalent while Grinnell (8-10) played a high back line and swarmed the midfield with numbers.

The breakthrough finally came in the 28th minute when Xavier packed the six-yard box on one of six first-half corners. Grinnell keeper Katie Cooper tipped the initial ball and Peyton Sadilek directed it in from somewhere inside the ensuing scrum.

'(Sunday) night at practice, I was working on running to the back post,' Sadilek said. 'I just happened to be there at the right time.'

Xavier wasted no more time to pounce against a Grinnell team with few reserves.

Less than a minute after the opener, Sadilek found Addy Hoffman in the box for the Saints' second goal, then Tana Felton headed in a 30th-minute corner.

Elena Minor added a penalty kick goal and assisted Molly Kinney on a strike, then Quinn Hanigan scored in the final minute of the first half for a 6-0 advantage.

'We eventually figured it out and obviously got the hang of it,' Minor said. 'I think we just needed to figure out our rhythm.'

Grinnell, meanwhile, only managed a single shot in the first 40 minutes.

Hoffman, Minor and Kinney tallied second-half goals for the final margin.

As usual, Xavier's Mississippi Valley Conference schedule prepared it for the Class 2A postseason. The Saints were competitive with 3A state qualifiers Cedar Rapids Kennedy (3-2 loss) and Iowa City West (3-1 loss) and outscored their two regional opponents, 19-0.

Xavier totaled a 23-6 shots advantage against the Tigers and didn't allow a corner kick.

'We play a tough schedule all year round, so when it comes to (regionals), we are that much more ready,' Sadilek said. 'We took that intensity into these games.'

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