Iowa City West downs Valley in 3A boys’ soccer final

DES MOINES - Alex Andersen was looking for Nick Raley's head.

Tied 0-0 with West Des Moines Valley on Saturday at Cownie Soccer Park, the two Iowa City West seniors were looking to break a tie in the Class 3A boys' soccer championship they'd dominated throughout. As soon as Andersen started to breakaway with a little over 23 minutes left in the match, he knew he could do something with it.

He dribbled the ball a couple times to the empty left side of the box and then whipped a pass across the face of the goal. He found Raley's head, the same head that had sent in a 78th-minute goal in the quarterfinals against Cedar Rapids Prairie to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Without hesitation, Raley obliged with his shot, heading it back across the goal, past Tigers keeper Grant Peterson and into the back of the left side of the net. Valley (20-4) couldn't equalize and the eighth-seeded Trojans (16-7) finished off an incredible run with a 1-0 state title win.

'I saw Raley with his hand up and I knew he had a height advantage over whowever was trying to defend him,” Andersen said. 'I just dropped it in with my left foot right where he was and I knew he would put it away with his head.”

It was a perfect strike, a perfect setup and the perfect ending to what's been a wholly unbelievable tournament for the Trojans. Giving up just one goal through three games, it was a defensive struggle once again with the Tigers.

Senior keeper Zach Frisbie was again impressive, registering an unofficial five saves. His best, however, came in the 72nd minute, as he leapt high into the air and tipped one right above the crossbar and out.

With just about any other player, it surely would have snuck in. It did not, though, and it gave West head coach Brad Stiles his eighth state title and the ninth in program history. Both are state records.

'They came together,” head coach Brad Stiles said. 'It was the bus rides where I think they really gelled. Some of the guys, who have never sang on some of the songs they play on the bus, were up singing.”

The thing was, they were all doing it together and that wasn't always something maybe he felt his team had been. Saturday, though - and really, for the duration of the tournament - they were as in sync as the sun is to the moon.

Passes were on target; clears were handled well and without panic. There were, of course, mistakes, but Valley didn't scare them and they handled its attacks well.

As the clock ticked down to zero and the fans tried several times to rush the field (to the ire of the IHSAA officials) West was all smiles.

'I'm still in shock. Every one of these is supposed to be special, but I don't know, I'm still gonna have to wake up tomorrow and make sure this is going to happen,” Stiles said. 'It's a true testament to these guys, they've been relentless.”

l Comments: jordan.hansen@thegazette.com