Waukee Northwest beats Valley for second straight girls soccer title
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AMES — There is no better way to go out than on top.
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And that’s exactly what Waukee Northwest coach Tony Gabriel got to do, when his No. 1-seeded Wolves beat No. 2 Valley, 2-1, in the Class 3A championship game June 13 at the Iowa high school girls soccer state tournament.
Northwest (14-0-3) finished the season without a loss and in the process became the first team to repeat in Iowa’s largest class since the state added a third division in 2011.
So, while Gabriel wants all the credit to go to the girls, this title-winning moment felt unique.
“This is my last game … so it feels a little bit different because it’s on my way out,” Gabriel said after the victory. “The kids were fantastic all year long. Never at any point did we put pressure on ourselves about repeating. They wanted it.
“And to be the No. 1 team all year, that’s not easy. The semifinal had four teams that have all won a championship in the last five years, that’s how brutal this class is. To come out on top, it’s a symbol of the heart and determination that these girls had, and I’m just proud of them.”
With the two conference foes meeting for the second time this season, Northwest and Valley fell into a rhythm on the field. The Tigers picked up the first shot on goal — off the foot of Sabrina Rogers — and then the Wolves responded with a shot of their own, which sailed over the top of the net.
Three yellow cards — two against Northwest, one against Valley — were handed out in the final 20 minutes of the first half, and that’s when all the scoring happened as well.
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the opening frame, Northwest sophomore Natalie Elliott sent a cross pass in front of the net, and Cora Sundet came in from the left side to knock it into the back of the net.
Less than a minute-and-a-half later, there was a bit of déjà vu, and Elliott connected with Sundet in the same fashion, except this time Sundet headed the ball in to put the Wolves up, 2-0.
The Tigers wasted little time cutting into Northwest’s lead. Following a free kick, Bryn Kenworthy headed in Valley’s first goal of the game, cutting Northwest’s advantage to 2-1, which held through the end of the first half.
“We just wanted to find success on the outside,” said Gabriel, reflecting on seeing his players’ hard work pay off. “And getting around (Valley’s) back line that way, and being able to do it consecutively, it was poetic.”
With two goals on the board — but only a one-point advantage — Northwest clung to that lead for the final 40 minutes of the game. The Tigers picked up some opportunities in the second half, but for the most part the Wolves remained in control.
The ball bounced up-and-down the field in the final few minutes of the game, with the rain picking up and Valley fighting to get an evener on the board. But the minutes ticked away, and the Tigers struggled to keep the ball on Northwest’s side of the field.
Even with the lead, the Wolves never stopped battling.
“They’re realistic,” Gabriel said of his team’s ability to remain focused after Valley’s goal. “That came from a set piece of a silly foul that we gave up, and we knew that we wanted to limit their set pieces, because that’s where they’re dangerous. It was a lesson learned, and we were smarter about how we played.”
The Wolves took down the Tigers (17-3-1) for the second time this season, beating them 2-1 in the regular season as well.
And with the amount of youth of Northwest’s squad — 13 returners on the roster — there is a chance that the Wolves’ dominance carries into next season.
“I’m gonna sit back and enjoy this,” said Gabriel. “The future is bright for this program. The youth and the ninth-graders that stepped up this year, they’re fun to watch. To see them be so impactful in their first year of high school has been great … and it’s fun to be around.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Waukee Northwest wins back-to-back Iowa girls soccer state titles