First Career Goal From Tate Lifts No. 13 West High Past Ninth-ranked City High
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – Scoring goals isn’t very high on the list of responsibilities for West High sophomore midfielder Meena Tate.
Tate picked the perfect time to show she is more than capable of finishing offensive opportunities.
The first career goal for Tate, a rocket from just inside the box with 7:05 left, proved to be the difference as No. 13 West High edged ninth-ranked City High 1-0 in a Mississippi Valley Conference match at Barker Field in Iowa City.
“At the position I play I don’t really get chances like that. I’m a lot more comfortable playing defense,” Tate said. “When I shot it I wasn’t even thinking.”
The win was the second straight for West High over City High in the first meeting between the two teams since a 3-2 Trojan win in a regional semifinal in 2019.
West High improved to 4-3 with the win, its first action following a 5-0 loss at third-ranked Linn-Mar on Tuesday. City High dropped to 1-2 with the loss.
“We come out and do something like this after such a major loss to Linn-Mar I think there is a good mental toughness to our kids,” West High coach Dave Rosenthal said. “That makes a difference in games like this.”
West High (4-3) needed a little bit of luck and a couple of stellar saves from senior keeper Julia Bernat to get to halftime even.
Morgan Turner had a potential go-ahead goal bounce off the post in the 24th minute.
Bernat made a sliding save of another Turner shot from inside five yards in the 36th minute to keep the game scoreless going to the half.
After halftime it was a different West High team.
“This particular team is one of the better teams I’ve had in my 27 years in responding to coaching,” Rosenthal said. “We told them at halftime they had to step up and win the 50-50 balls and come to the ball more and they did.”
West High had the first four shots of the second half as it began to put pressure on the City High back line.
The Trojans finally broke through when Tate took a pass from Grace Curran toward the top of the box and turned toward the goal.
“I saw she over played me so I turned the other way and everything was open, nobody was there,” Tate said. “I thought if I kick it hard it will go in.”
Tate rocketed a shot from just inside the box past City High keeper Sara Cassady who was exceptional all game for the Little Hawks.
“We kept telling her that she had to go forward so I was so glad to see her get that goal,” Rosenthal said. “She had two, the first one was right at the keeper and the one that was the game winner that turn was just perfect and it just opened up for her.”
The goal game just more than 10 minutes after City High had one of its best opportunities of the game again coming from Turner.
Mia DePrenger played a ball into the box and Turner and Bernat arrived at the ball simultaneously with Bernat making a sliding kick save.
“It’s pretty stressful at times especially with such a big crowd,” Bernat said. “I was just staying focused on the ball and really staying calm and keeping our defense together and making those saves when it happened.”
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