Iowa high school girls’ soccer scores: Thursday’s regional finals roundup

The 2023 Iowa high school girls’ state soccer tournament field is set. Here’s a quick look at all 24 regional finals from Thursday night.

The state tournament starts Wednesday with the quarterfinals at Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines. Semifinals are next Friday and the championship games are next Saturday.

Thursday’s Class 3A regional finals

No. 6 Linn-Mar 5, Dubuque Hempstead 0

Five Linn-Mar players scored as the Lions (16-3) earned their eighth state tournament berth and first since 2019. Tessa Casebolt, Athena Sheets, MacKenzie Cejka, Abi Roberts and Hayley Setrum (PK) all found the net in their second shutout win over Dubuque Hempstead (14-4) this season. The Lions have won 57 straight games against Mississippi Valley Conference schools.

No. 1 Waukee Northwest 4, Iowa City High 0

Northwest (16-1) remained undefeated against Iowa teams this spring and advanced to state for the second time in its three-year history. City High trailed just 1-0 at halftime but saw its season end with a 10-5 record.

No. 4 West Des Moines Valley 4, No. 13 Council Bluffs Lincoln 1

Valley (14-3) built a 3-0 halftime lead and earned its 20th state tournament bid, its ninth in a row. The result ends a Council Bluffs Lincoln (13-6) run of four consecutive state appearances.

No. 3 Johnston 1, No. 14 Mason City 0

Johnston (13-4) scored a 75th-minute winner to return to state for the first time since 2015, the last in a streak of nine. Mason City (16-3) won a school-record 16 games this spring and came up just short of making its state debut.

No. 2 Ankeny 3, No. 12 Urbandale 0

Ankeny (12-3-1) scored a pair of insurance goals late in the second half to wrap up its 13th regional title and sixth in a row with its second shutout of Urbandale (12-7) this season.

No. 7 West Des Moines Dowling 4, No. 11 Muscatine 1

Dowling (10-6) scored three unanswered goals to book its sixth straight trip to state and 16th overall. Muscatine (11-6) was seeking a third straight regional final win on the road.

No. 5 Pleasant Valley 3, No. 10 Waukee 0

Pleasant Valley (16-3) will make its 20th state tournament appearance and fifth in a row after a Morgan Russmann hat trick. Waukee (8-8) beat the Spartans, 2-1, in mid-April but came up short this time.

No. 8 Ankeny Centennial 2, No. 9 Bettendorf 0

Ranked No. 1 to start the season, Centennial (10-6-1) struggled at times against a rigorous schedule. But the Jaguars will be back at state to defend their title, making their eighth appearance and seventh straight. Bettendorf finished 13-4.

Thursday’s Class 2A regional finals

No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock 5, No. 12 Cedar Rapids Xavier 0

Xavier (8-6) has plenty of company when it comes to shutout losses against the top-ranked Go-Hawks (16-1). Waverly-Shell Rock, which beat the Saints, 2-0, to open the season, has given up just one goal this season. This neutral-site win at Independence means the Go-Hawks head to state for the ninth straight season and 17th overall.

No. 9 Marion 3, Iowa City Liberty 2

One of these programs was set to make school history Thursday, and host Marion delivered at its brand-new Marion Stadium. The Wolves (12-2) led 3-0 at halftime via two goals from Amerie Hall and one from Selah Hill-Dale, according to Your Prep Sports. Liberty (9-9), which knocked off No. 5 Independence in the regional semifinals, battled back, but Marion held on to get to state for the first time.

No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes 3, No. 10 Norwalk 0

Defending state champion Dallas Center-Grimes (15-3) scored three goals in the first half to return to state for the fifth straight season and 14th all-time. Norwalk (12-7) is responsible for No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock’s only loss this season.

No. 3 North Scott 3, No. 14 DeWitt Central 0

North Scott’s second 3-0 win over the Sabers (10-8) this season came with a 10th trip to state for the program. The Lancers (13-3) scored all three goals late in the second half.

No. 4 Pella 5, Fort Madison 0

Pella’s 11th straight win resulted in its 14th state tournament berth. The Dutch (14-2) most recently advanced in 2019. Fort Madison finished 11-6.

No. 11 North Polk 1, No. 8 Bondurant-Farrar 0 (PK)

North Polk (12-6) prevailed in a penalty shootout on the road to advance to state for the sixth straight season. Bondurant-Farrar (11-6) scored the only goal in the teams’ two meetings this season.

No. 6 Adel ADM 3, No. 15 Glenwood 1

Glenwood (12-6) struck first on the road, but the Tigers (12-4) scored three times in the second half to secure their seventh state bid.

No. 7 Spencer 10, Denison-Schleswig 0

Spencer (15-3) led 8-0 at halftime and emphatically earned its fifth straight trip to state. The Monarchs’ season ended at 9-9.

Thursday’s Class 1A regional finals

No. 1 Des Moines Christian 4, Iowa City Regina 0

Defending state champion Des Moines Christian (14-2) ended Regina’s season at 14-6. The Lions, who have reached the Class 1A final in both of their state appearances, have outscored 1A teams 60-3 this spring.

No. 2 Nevada 1, No. 9 Center Point-Urbana 0

Nevada (14-3) scored the lone goal in the second half, denying Center Point-Urbana (12-3) in the highest-ranked matchup of the regional finals. The Cubs are state bound for the 12th straight season and 15th overall.

No. 6 Van Meter 2, No. 13 Panorama 0

Van Meter (12-3) scored twice in the second half for a return trip to state after making its debut last season — its second as an independent program. Panorama (13-5) lost to the Bulldogs by the same score in April.

No. 3 Davenport Assumption 2, Dubuque Wahlert 0

Assumption (13-4) is state bound for the 20th time, adding to its state record with a 16th consecutive state bid. Wahlert (4-14) came in with two straight road wins in the regional tournament after dealing with a difficult MVC schedule.

No. 5 Underwood 1, Council Bluffs St. Albert 0

Underwood (11-2) made its state debut last season and clinched a repeat bid with a narrow win over St. Albert (13-7).

No. 4 Gilbert 4, No. 11 Dike-New Hartford 0

Gilbert (12-5) scored three first-half goals against Dike-New Hartford (10-7) and advanced to state for the 10th time.

No. 7 Sioux City Heelan 6, Sioux Center 0

Heelan (15-3) kept solo possession of the state record for state tournament berths with its 21st. This was the Crusaders’ ninth straight shutout win. Sioux Center finished 13-4.

No. 10 Hudson 1, No. 8 Denver 0 (OT)

Annabelle Lange’s goal on a corner kick gave Hudson (13-2) its first state tournament bid. The breakthrough comes a year after the Pirates came as close as a team can, falling in a penalty shootout at Center Point-Urbana. Denver (16-2) won this regular-season meeting in penalties.

Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com