DES MOINES—A lot was at stake in a battle between 1-seed North Polk and 3-seed Dallas-Center Grimes in the Class 2A finals of the Iowa girls state soccer tournament.
DCG was competing for its third straight title while North Polk was seeking its first state trophy in 2A.
Six unanswered goals by DCG completed its three-peat in a 6-1 win over the top-seeded Comets on Saturday.
“When I asked about some of their goals and everything, it wasn’t just about winning conference, it wasn’t just making it to a state tournament. They said,’ We want to win this thing again,'” said DCG coach Dan James. “This senior bunch has been to the state finals four-straight years and (got) three of them…they made DCG a really special place here in the last four years.”
The Comets were the ones who set the tone with an opening strike at the 26:07 mark. Senior Abby Bell dribbled down the center of the field and buried a shot that gave North Polk a 1-0 advantage.
“Being down a goal, we knew that it’s not very common for us to be cocky in that way, but we know that if we come together as a family we can overcome it and we did that when the stage was bright,” said senior Kylie Knief
About 19 minutes later though, Knief found herself attempting a penalty shot. She blocked out the noise, composed herself, and sent a shot that evened the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.
“Everyone tries to rattle you, I just took a couple of deep breaths and I just buried it in the corner,” Knief said.
The Mustangs were aggressive to open the second half and took the lead. Senior Hannah Renz was the top assist-getter for DCG this season. Eight minutes into the second half, Renz showed that with a long ball that found junior Landry Glasgow. The third-year Mustang snuck in a header that gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead.
“(Hannah) just had a great cross right to the box, and I happened to be right there and it was perfect,” Glasgow said.
Glasgow wasn’t done yet. About 10 minutes later, she sent a 15-yard shot into the box to extend the lead to 3-1. From then on, the Mustangs kept piling on the goals. Senior Ella Forsyth got in on the action with an assist from junior Alex Hofbauer. Sophomore Kenna Knief capped it off with a goal in the final minutes.
“From the beginning of the season, we knew it was possible and we can do it,” Kylie Knief said. “But I always use the words, ‘We’re a family’…we had an emotional speech before the game and I think as we all come together as a team, we just know what we want and we strive for it.”
DCG finishes its championship season with an 18-3 record. Kylie Knief and Renz earned a spot in the 2A all-tournament team. DCG girls soccer’s state title victory came hours after the DCG boys defeated Des Moines Hoover, 3-2, to clinch its first state title in program history.
“I texted (boys coach Collin Lane) today. I go,’ We can make something special happen today,'” James said. “It’s a big-time moment. Anytime a school gets two championships in one day, I mean, that’s very rare to happen…so it’s a pretty special experience for these kids at DCG.”
More:Dallas Center-Grimes, powered by its seniors, clinches program’s first Iowa boys state soccer title
North Polk wraps up its season with a 19-2 record. Senior Madi Nemmers and junior Addi Ollendike were selected to the all-tournament team.
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached atMARay@gannett.com, and on X, formerly Twitter, at@themarcszn.
