Iowa City West will play for a repeat state title after taking down No. 1 Kennedy

DES MOINES — Kennedy's all-out attacks sometimes leave it vulnerable defensively, and on Friday, Iowa City West took advantage to score the go-ahead goal just 45 seconds into the second half. The Women of Troy added two more for a 3-0 Class 3A semifinal victory at the girls' state soccer tournament.

West (18-3) will defend its state title Saturday at 4 p.m. against Ankeny Centennial (20-1). The loss was Kennedy's first of the season after 20 victories.

After a scoreless first half, West had the wind at its back in the second half. Kennedy made an initial rush, but West reversed field with a pass to Emma Cooper, who broke free on the left, leaving only the keeper in front. She nailed it into the upper right corner.

'I made the run, and it was just wide open,' Cooper said. 'They had stepped really high and I was just going to space. That just broke the ice, because I felt like we had been really testing their keeper and getting a lot of shots on goal. It kept the momentum going.'

West's second score came in the 55th minute on a pass from Regan Steigleder to Payton Pottratz.

'I saw some space on the back line,' Pottratz said. 'I saw Regan with the ball and I was just screaming her name, because I was just standing flat-footed between two players. She perfectly chipped it over them. I think the back line thought I was offsides, but I took one touch and hit it to the bottom left corner.

'It relieved a ton of tension.'

Kennedy Coach Scott Myers credited West's execution for the scores.

'Two really good balls, the first and second goals. Just phenomenal passes,' he said. 'They threaded the needle. And if you place the ball to Emma, she's going to finish it every time. She put a ball where it had to be placed.

• Girls' state soccer scores, schedule

'We gambled a little bit, but we've been doing it all year long.'

West's defense did a good job of containing Kennedy's speed. Tia Saunders was on speedy forward Sydney Hayden much of the game.

'Once the ball got in the air, Katie (Olson), Lexi (Shaffer), Claire (McDonnell) and Tia, they're just animals back there,' Pottratz said.

'They are very hard to defend against,' Olson said. 'Our organization was really tight and we packed it in. We pulled back our outside mids. We were talking and making sure everyone knew where the backside runs were coming because that's what they're really good at.'

Myers thought the Cougars played more their style in the final 20 minutes, but it was too late. He lauded his seniors as he spoke to the team: 'Seniors, you've left a big, tall mountain to climb. Underclassmen you have a long journey. We're teaching them to climb.'

Freshman Rachel Olson scored the final goal in the 79th minute.

At one point this season West was 3-3, including a 2-0 loss to Kennedy.

'We're just one of those teams that as the season progresses we get stronger and our chemistry gets better, and it just all culminates in the state tournament for us,' Cooper said.