Battle of number ones goes to Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS - The bus leaves for Dubuque Wahlert at 6:30 Saturday morning. Players are supposed to be at school by 6 to wait for it.So much for any real big celebration for knocking off Class 3A's top-ranked team Friday night, eh, Cedar Rapids Xavier's boys' soccer team?“If we win (against Wahlert), this win will have even more weight for us,” said Xavier coach Amir Hadzic.True, but even if they don't, “this” win was still plenty hefty for the Saints. They got a first-half goal from Issac Frisch to hand Cedar Rapids Kennedy its first loss, 1-0.“This is a big win for us. It's good to come out here and get it,” said Xavier goalkeeper Paul Cavin. “We talked about it a lot at school today. We were pretty pumped about this game.”A lot of people were pretty pumped about this game since it was number one versus number one. Xavier (8-3) is in Class 2A but certainly among the top squads in the top league in the state (the Mississippi Valley Conference).That was proven Friday night.“Obviously, it's a big rivalry,” Hadzic said. “It's the kind of match that we don't need extra motivation to play. Here, even more so, with both teams being number one ... It was like tooth and nail throughout. We were fortunate enough to capitalize on one of our chances.”That chance was a breakaway from Frisch, who stayed as patient as he could before putting a ball past Kennedy keeper Nathan Althoff. That was the first goal Kennedy (11-1) has allowed in six games, just its fifth this season.“We knew we would have few chances,” Frisch said. “So we had to finish one off.”Cavin was terrific in helping his team hold its tenous lead. It's the 6-foot-3 keeper's eighth shutout this season.Hadzic said he has begun fielding phone calls from college coaches about him.“To be honest, it's all my defense,” Cavin said. “It's the defense, the boys that are doing all the work. They make my life easy.”