Iowa City Liberty backs up No. 1 boys’ soccer ranking with shootout win over Iowa City West

NORTH LIBERTY — They yelled and they cheered, then ran to hug the students rushing the field. Some “Beat Liberty” rivalry T-shirts even made a brief appearance among the Iowa City Liberty boys’ soccer team.

The celebration at Liberty’s soccer field was joyous Tuesday evening, but quickly muted with reminders from within to “be humble” after Class 3A’s new No. 1-ranked team beat storied Iowa City West for the first time, 1-0 with a 4-3 penalty shootout.

“It goes beyond exciting,” Liberty (6-0) coach Sonny Travis said. “I think it was a battle of two really good teams. When it gets to PKs, you never know how it’s gonna turn out, but it’s very exciting for our program because it’s a young program. I think our guys have had a great start but we still have a lot of season left.”

Liberty goalkeeper Jaxyn Logan made the shootout’s only save. Both teams also missed an attempt, then Liberty junior Wasso Sweedi stepped up to deliver the winning strike.

“I knew I was gonna make it,” Sweedi said. “I was confident.”

The Trojans outscored Liberty 11-0 in two previous wins, including a 5-0 victory last season. You can say one game at a time, but this one game had to carry extra emphasis.

“It just feels good to finally beat them,” Logan said. “There’s so much energy behind this game, from both sides.”

» Photo gallery: Iowa City West at Iowa City Liberty boys’ soccer

Both teams had opportunities to win in regulation, and Michael Nelson might have come closest for 11th-ranked West (4-2). He hit the post on an angled shot with a strong wind at his back near the end of regulation, then had one last opportunity denied by a diving Logan in the final minute of the overtime period.

The Lightning’s upward trajectory was noticeable last season, when a young team won six of seven games entering the substate finals, including a similarly eye-opening shootout win over Iowa City High.

The coaches No. 1 ranking was clearly another step forward, even with new rankings criteria that relies on ELO ratings. This early-season result backed it up.

“We say that pressure is a privilege,” Travis said. “That’s how we’re trying to treat it. We’ve worked hard to get to this point. The season is a marathon and we just want to get better every week. Last year we had a very good ending. This year we want to try to get to state and see if we can make some noise. But we have to get there first.”

Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com