Van Meter edges out North Fayette in boys’ soccer state quarterfinals in rematch

IOWA CITY — Van Meter got even.

Nearly a year to the day after North Fayette Valley defeated Van Meter in the state title game, the Bulldogs returned the favor.

Class 1A No. 6 Van Meter (16-1-2) edged the third-ranked Tigerhawks (14-3-1), 1-0, in a state quarterfinal Monday night at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex.

“I thought the second half was much better than the first half in terms of keeping possession, because that’s kind of our main game,” Van Meter Coach Jonah Waldron said. “We were able to keep it calm, stay composed and move the ball. I was really, really impressed, especially in a high-intensity game.”

The Tigerhawks won the previous meeting, 2-0, to capture the championship trophy in Des Moines on June 1, 2024.

“In any final, if you don’t win, you’re going to be pretty upset about it,” Waldron said. “But it wasn’t much revenge as we just needed to finish the first game and move on to the next.

“They made it really hard for us and it was a good match. But no revenge — just focused on one game at a time.”

The game’s lone score was a Caleb Moore goal with 20:07 remaining in the first half. It was Moore’s 15th of the season.

“We stopped focusing on the game for about 10 seconds and Van Meter took those 10 seconds to find a hole in our defense and put the ball in the net,” NFV Coach Ignacio Fuentes said. “I noticed we were not locked in on that precise moment — otherwise, I thought our defense did great.”

Monday’s contest was a matchup between two evenly matched teams on paper. NFV entered the game ranked sixth in 1A in goals scored (68), with Van Meter right behind at 67. The Bulldogs were tied for 12th in assists with 46; NFV was 14 th with 45.

“They (Van Meter) have a great coach and staff,” Fuentes said. “They’re big athletes, big bodies and that hurt us a little.”

Van Meter will play Iowa City Regina in the semifinals at noon Weddnesday at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines.

For NFV, it was the program’s fourth state tournament appearance in five seasons.

“It’s been pretty special — we had a great team again,” Fuentes said. “We had great runs during the regular season and our substate was phenomenal.”

The Tigerhawks’ 14 wins in 2025 are tied for third-most in program history.

“I coached these kids when they were six years old, and now they’re leaving me as seniors,” Fuentes said. “They leave high standards and a legacy in our school system. What’s cool about this is that younger generations notice and want to continue the great program we’ve built.

“It means the world to me.”

In the second game Monday night, Ames topped Iowa City High, 1-0.