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An Iowa City showcase as Liberty and West simultaneously advance to respective boys’ state soccer title games
Lightning hand 3A No. 3 Marion its first loss, 2-0; Trojans stop 4A No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling, 3-0
DES MOINES — Some players scrolled TikTok. Others listened to music. Clash of Clans was reportedly the activity of choice in the back of the bus. No matter how the Iowa City Liberty Lightning passed the weather delay, their focus didn’t waver.
“Coming into this game, we had one person in our minds,” Liberty junior Flori Gembo Motshalindo said. “Jackson Kirsch. What a great player. Seventy goals (this season). That was all we were focusing on, try to stop him.”
Five hours after their Class 2A boys’ state soccer semifinal game was supposed to kick off Thursday at Cownie Soccer Park, that job was done. In their first state tournament, the No. 9-ranked Lightning (11-8) advanced to the Class 3A final by handing third-ranked Marion its first loss, 2-0.
“Teams might see us as underdogs, but we walk into every game knowing that we’re better than the other team,” Liberty captain Haider Nasr said.
One field over, through the fog that rolled in after a day of storms delayed all eight semifinal games, Liberty’s neighbors from Iowa City West booked their spot in the Class 4A final with a decisive 3-0 win over second-ranked West Des Moines Dowling.
“We just kind of chilled,” West junior Ismail Mohamed said as predictions for a new kickoff time seemed to continuously change throughout a stormy afternoon. “We didn’t change our attitude toward the game. We knew we had a job to do and we just executed. We trusted our teammates and we came here and did it.”
When the 4A (scheduled for 7 p.m.) and 3A (scheduled for 4 p.m.) semifinal games eventually kicked off simultaneously at 7:30 p.m., the Trojans were indeed the first to execute. Sophomore Daniel Fuentes scored the opening goal just 1:04 into the game.
“We had the intensity,” West goalkeeper Jacob Gilliam said. “We were told to get the first score. We just really wanted it. I thought the first couple minutes proved it, that we were just there and needed a goal first and we got a goal.”
Liberty followed their lead. Hayden Saul found the net in the 22nd minute, then ran to the sideline for a makeshift slip-and-slide on the wet grass. Gembo Motshalindo doubled the advantage just before halftime against a Marion team that shut out its first 18 opponents.
“It’s just their heart. It’s their hard work. It’s their attention to the game plan,” Liberty Coach Matt Harding said. “We’re playing an unbelievable team like Marion, 113 goals for and just the one against. I mean, my gosh, what a season they had. That had our full attention and our full effort. Couldn’t be prouder of the guys.”
The Lightning will try to start a state championship tradition Saturday at 4 p.m. against No. 6 Norwalk (13-7), which scored a late goal to top No. 2 Des Moines Hoover, 1-0.
Michael Nelson scored two more goals for West on Thursday just to make sure the program with the most championships in the state of Iowa will go for a 10th at 7 p.m. Saturday. It’ll face No. 3 Johnston (17-3), which topped No. 11 Ankeny Centennial, 3-1.
“For the program, it’s huge,” West Coach Brad Stiles said. “For them to have this experience and be able to pass it on to whoever is behind them, that’s how you build tradition at the state tournament.”
Harding, a former West assistant coach who’s in his first year as the head coach at Liberty, knows that.
“West is like a second family to us,” Gembo Motshalindo said. “We play club with all those guys. We know the head coaches, the staff members. We’re proud of each other.”
Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com
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