Late goal gives Cedar Rapids Washington upset win over Iowa City West

DES MOINES – The first 75 minutes of the game might have given the Cedar Rapids Washington Warriors cause for concern.

The Iowa City West Trojans were outshooting the Warriors almost three to one, and the Warriors seemed to spend most of the first 75 minutes of the 80-minute game clearing the ball from their own half.

But the 76th minute brought a change in the game, as Washington's AJ Patterson broke down the right side of the field, beating two Trojan defensemen, and working into a one-on-one situation with Trojan keeper Zach Frisbie.

'When I got by that last defender and saw that it was just me and the keeper, I basically just showed him one side and went back post with my right foot and it went in,' Patterson said.

Patterson was subbed on and off the field throughout the game, and said his coaches told him to be patient and keep working the field, looking for opportunities to beat the Trojans with his speed.

The junior midfielder's patience was rewarded with a goal that sends the Warriors into a Class 3A semifinal matchup with No. 2 seed West Des Moines Valley at 5:05 p.m. Friday.

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Patterson found himself at a loss for words when trying to describe the goal, but he and others said the final 2 1/2 minutes of the game were among the longest of the season.

'I was just like, alright, time's ticking. I've just got to get the ball, hold it in the corner and we'll be fine,' Patterson said.

'It was a pretty long three minutes,' Warriors Coach J.P. Graham said. '(Iowa City West has) a little more depth than us, that's why I was okay with absorbing some pressure.'

The pressure came from the Trojans throughout the game, as they outshot the Warriors 18-3. The scoreboard read zeros at halftime, however, even as Washington goalkeeper Reid Tovey hobbled on his ankle after colliding with his teammate early in the half.

The Warriors responded with better shooting opportunities in the second half but still were outshot by the Trojans, 26-8, overall.

The shots that go in are the only ones that matter, however, and Graham noted that the shots the Trojans offered were enough for his team and hobbled keeper to handle.

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'I was freaking out, everytime,' junior midfielder John Henry Green said about the last four minutes of the game. 'It was ridiculous.'

Green said the Warriors were not worried about the disparity in shots during the game, and were relying on their conditioning to carry them against the deeper and higher-seeded Trojans.

'That's not really the Warrior way,' Green said. 'We do a lot of fitness during the season and we just power through the last five minutes. A goal will not keep us down.'