Ryan Pleggenkuhle

First-year Linn-Mar girls’ soccer coach Hannah Clark wants a state championship for the Lions, who are ranked No. 5 in Class 3A after a 5-2 start. Their only losses came by a goal to the state’s top two teams.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and Iowa State University announced Wednesday the girls’ state soccer tournament will be held in Ames, beginning in 2025. Eastern Iowa coaches are happy the tournament will remain on grass fields.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s first weekly boys’ soccer rankings provide some helpful talking points for this week’s episode of Park The Bus, The Gazette’s high school soccer podcast. We also take a look back at last week’s games by naming teams and players of the week for boys and girls.

The Wamac Conference isn’t getting any easier and the Center Point-Urbana girls’ soccer team knows the race will be one battle after another.

Casey and Caleb Gessner helped Benton Community knock off No. 1 Williamsburg on Tuesday and are having their own competition.

The first episode of Park The Bus, a podcast covering Iowa high school soccer in the Gazette area, details teams and players to watch in 2024 as well as some bold predictions.

Cedar Rapids Prairie will play 10 of its 15 regular-season games on the road this boys’ soccer season — and many of the opponents it will face were ranked in 2023.

Last year was Matt Harding’s first year as Iowa City Liberty boys’ soccer head coach, Liberty’s first state tournament appearance and its first state championship. The 2024 Lightning lineup will feature many new faces, but similar expectations.

Here’s a look at Gazette area players and teams to watch during the 2024 Iowa high school boys’ soccer season.

Here’s a look at Gazette area players and teams to watch during the 2024 Iowa high school girls’ soccer season.

For the Marion girls’ soccer team, green isn’t just a color — it’s a contract. The color symbolizes a commitment to unity and always putting forth maximum effort. The 2023 Wolves reached the state tournament for the first time in program history.

A runner-up finish for Iowa City High’s Kendra Schwarting in the Class 3A girls’ state bowling tournament included a first-round win over the defending state champion.

Vinton-Shellsburg bowlers Vann Lessig and Kylee Kirchner — separated by 18 lanes in their championship matches at Cadillac XBC in Waterloo — secured Class 1A individual state titles within moments of each other.

Tori Richart and Vingon-Shellsburg finished first at last Monday’s Class 1A state qualifier in Ames — giving the Vikings their fourth consecutive appearance at state.

Class 2A’s second-ranked Mustangs were strong in a 46-15 regional duals victory over No. 14 Solon Tuesday night. The Mustangs head to the state duals tournament Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville for the second straight year.