Second half all J-Hawks (photo gallery)

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Jefferson was sluggish at the start but rallied to beat Iowa City High, 3-0, last night in a Class 3A girls' soccer regional semifinal at Kingston Stadium.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Katie Dierks evades Sophie Opitz of Iowa City High to get to the ball during a Class 3A first round regional game at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG)

The first half was more like pinball than soccer with neither team able to string together more than a few passes.

“The first half was just my fault,” said Jefferson Coach Ash Brannan. “I should've started two forwards from the start. I told them at halftime that was all me. I told them we were going to press, press, press, and not let them complete more than two passes ever.

“That was our goal. I think that helped.”

It worked.

J-Hawk freshman Katie Ives scored the first goal off a free kick. Little Hawk goalkeeper Gracie Steve, playing her first varsity game due to an injury to City High's starting goalkeeper, deflected the ball into her own net off a corner kick, and the final goal bounced in during a scrum in the box when a corner dropped into the 6-yard box.

“That's my shooting spot,” Ives said. “Coach believes in me and my team believes in me, so when I get up to that position I just focus on my spot and I don't see anything else. I just see the spot where I want to shoot.”

Jefferson will play Iowa City West in Iowa City in the regional final at five p.m. Monday.

“We're anxious to get another shot at (Iowa City West),” Brannan said.