Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – In a meeting of the team with the most state tournament success in state history and a team making its state meet debut it was the newcomer that came out on top.

In its first state tournament appearance ever Pleasant Valley held off top-seeded West High 1-0 in the Class 3A state title match Saturday on a warm and windy afternoon at Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines.

“It might have been a little bit easier for us because we didn’t know what was going on,” Pleasant Valley coach Wayne Ward said. “We looked at the other team when they were warming up, we looked to other teams where they were warming up, we arrived too early one day, it was just trial by fire. Maybe by not knowing was the best thing ever and not knowing the pressure. We were just under the thought of we are just going to enjoy it.”

Pleasant Valley (20-3) snapped a scoreless tie with a goal by junior Rhys Ward in the 70^th minute while completing its third consecutive 1-0 win of the week.

The fifth-ranked Spartans knocked off No. 8 City High in the substate final last week.

In its first trip to the state tournament Pleasant Valley knocked off the top three seeds, downing third-seeded Cedar Rapids Prairie and second-seeded Johnston before its win over top-seed West High on Saturday.

“First time we have ever been out of substate we won substate got here as the six seed,” Ward said. “There was doubt on us, we pushed through and had to trust every single one of our teammates and look where it got us.”

West High (20-2) was seeking its state-leading 10^th state title in its 21^st all-time state tournament appearance, another state record.

Instead, the Trojans settled for a second consecutive runner-up finish after falling to Waukee in the 2019 title game.

“This is the first time they have been shutout all year so that’s kind of hard to swallow going into it I thought we’d be able to at least scored one, maybe two and be able to get out of here but credit to them for the shutout,” West High coach Brad Stiles said. “Their guys did well today.”

It was a virtual deadlock from the outset with both teams missing on several solid scoring opportunities in the opening half.

The best scoring opportunity for West High came in the 27^th minute when a Michael Nelson cross bounced off the hands of Pleasant Valley keeper Gabe Johnson and Kolby Godbolt had an opportunity at an open net but his deflection of the ball in midair sailed high.

A West High had scored less than two goals in a match just once all season and had eight goals in its first two state tournament wins but couldn’t muster much offense against a stingy Pleasant Valley back line.

“They read the ball pretty well,” Stiles said. “I bet they intercepted maybe 20 passes or so today I think that disrupts a lot of things for a lot of teams.”
Pleasant Valley had a couple of scoring opportunities in the opening 20 minutes of the second half before finally breaking through on a strike from distance from Ward.

“We moved him around, we had him as a six, we had him as an eight, we had a couple of injuries I don’t think we had legs to get into overtime so we rolled the dice and probably it was more luck than it was good coaching,” Ward said. “He kicks for the football team so thankfully this one went under the bar and not over it.”

Ward found the ball at his feet and quickly fired a shot from 35 yards out past West High keeper Nicholas McDonnell and into upper right hand corner of the goal.

“Something that we talked as a group was them being dangerous from distance,” Stiles said. “I think it comes back on us not being able to create a goal. If it’s 1-1 we are still in it and it gives us a chance it just didn’t work out today.”

West High had several opportunities in the final 10 minutes but couldn’t pull even as Johnson came up with a pair of key saves.

The loss snapped an 18-match winning streak for West High which hadn’t lost since April 6.

“We talk a lot about giving 100 percent effort no matter where you are at on the field and I thought that showed today,” Stiles said. “Maybe not the passing percentage completed but the heart and the effort and the tackling was all there and that’s something that they can be proud of. They left it on the field today.”

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