Mid-Prairie knocks off top-ranked Dyersville Beckman

DES MOINES - Fourth-ranked Mid-Prairie came to its first state boys' soccer tournament with a 15-2 record and was seeded fourth, but the Golden Hawks seemed to be an after thought to many people in a stellar 1A class that included both of last year's finalists.

The Golden Hawks weren't content to have dinner at the kids' table, though, and powered to a 2-0 victory over top-ranked Dyersville Beckman in a Friday semifinal at Cownie soccer park.

Mid-Prairie (17-2) plays River Valley Conference rival Regina Saturday at noon for the 1A title. Regina is seeking its fifth title in six years.

Was this an upset? It sure didn't look that way on the field.

'Technically this was an upset,” Mid-Prairie senior Austin Errthum said. 'They are 20-1 and we're 16-2. But in 1A soccer anything can happen. They are a good team, obviously. We looked a little better. They have good athletes; we have good athletes. Ninety-nine times we play maybe we win only one, but we'll take this one.”

The Golden Hawks were the aggressors in the first half both offensively and defensively. They attacked from beginning, and Errthum hit the post in the first two minutes.

'We outwork everyone,” Errthum said. 'Wyatt (Cady) and Nick (Stimson) are faster than most defenders. And our midfield, me and Dayton (Hall), hold us together. We understand each other, and we just want it now.”

'Once those guys have the ball at their feet and they're running, we create a lot of problems for their defense,” Mid-Prairie Coach Pat Cady said.

The Hawks were awarded a penalty kick in the 20th minute after a hand ball, and Errthum easily knocked it in. Beckman Coach Mirek Laskowski said he thought the official misinterpreted the rule, but he didn't blame the loss on the call.

The key score came in the 36th minute on a beautiful combination from Cady to Stimson. That score came after Beckman had had possession in Mid-Prairie's half for several minutes without producing much of serious threat. It also came after what appeared to be a hand ball by a Mid-Prairie player that wasn't called. That gave the team breathing room at halftime.

'We wanted to make sure we had no lack of effort on the field,” Errthum said of the second-half approach.

The second score put the top-ranked Blazers in a big hole on a sunny, hot afternoon, and while they mounted some threats in the second half it was nothing the back line, led by gritty senior Dustin Yoder and goalie Spencer Shalla, couldn't handle. Remember Beckman is one of the highest scoring teams in the state.

'The key is work ethic,” Yoder said. 'My backs, my stopper, my defensive midfielders all work extremely hard to get the ball. We work really well together, too. We work to get the ball back in the first five seconds. That's our goal.

'We pick up any through balls, that's my job. My right and left backs talk to me. They tell me who's running where and I yell at everybody else.”

Yoder said his 'stopper” is senior John Adams and he had the task of marking the Blazers' No. 1 scorer.

'He shuts people down like I don't even know,” Yoder said. 'Keep them as isolated as possible. Make them know you are there.”

Laskowski was philosophical after the game.

'It's tough to come back in a semifinal when everybody wants to get to the big game,” Laskowski said. 'We made a couple mistakes on runs because the touches weren't the greatest. We can do a lot better. But it was unlucky touches and the keeper saved some. Ah, it was a combination of everything.”

It's a game Mid-Prairie will remember for a long time and treasure.

'Coming in we knew they were good. We wanted to show that we could play because I think a lot of people underestimated us,” Yoder said.