Iowa Raptors indoor soccer team playing for a championship in Texas this weekend

Curt Lewis was familiar with the type of soccer talent he would be working with as Iowa Raptors men’s indoor soccer coach this winter.

The 20-year Cedar Rapids Prairie boys’ soccer coach knew some players from their days in the Mississippi Valley Conference, others from last summer’s Raptors men’s outdoor team, who practiced after the women’s team Lewis coached.

“We thought we’d be very athletic, we thought we’d be a very good soccer team,” Lewis said. “We didn’t know how that would translate into being a good indoor team.”

The Raptors’ first Major Arena Soccer League 2 season so far has translated into a North Division title and a spot in the four-team playoffs.

Iowa, based out of Cedar Rapids, will face the Amarillo Bombers in a MASL2 semifinal game at 3 p.m. Friday at Mesquite Arena in Mesquite, Texas — about 16 miles away from the site of the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four. The Chihuahua Savage II and Wichita Wings play at noon, with the winners meeting in Saturday’s 2 p.m. championship game. The consolation game is at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Raptors (7-3-2) and Rochester Lancers (8-4-0) finished with 23 points in the regular season, with Iowa winning the North tie-breaker by securing seven points to Rochester’s five in their head-to-head meetings.

Iowa actually had a minus-7 goal differential, but frequently turned close games into wins. It was 6-1-2 in games decided by two goals or fewer, including a 5-4 win at Rochester last Friday that clinched the division. Jonah Dancer scored the winner with 36 seconds remaining to hand the Lancers their first home defeat. It was perhaps the most important of the Iowa City High alum’s team-high 17 goals.

“The thing I’m probably the most proud of our organization is we are truly amateurs,” Lewis said. “We play a lot of teams that have (Major Arena Soccer League) players on loan.”

Now, teams have reached out to the Raptors about possible affiliation agreements. The arena soccer spotlight will shine on the organization this weekend, as well as on players who could move up to the MASL.

“They’re all great guys,” Lewis said. “I think we’ve got some really great local talent that’s playing with us. We have some guys that have ambitions to get to M1.”

Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com