West High Stretches Win Streak Over City High to Four With 1-0 Win
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – West High scored a combined four goals in its first two wins of the season.
The Trojans had seven goals total goals in its previous two wins over cross-town rival City High.
West High only found the net once on Friday night but it was enough to secure a fourth consecutive win over cross-town rival City High.
Liam Teghanemt scored on a shot from distance in the 38th minute and West High held off a furious late City High rally in a 1-0 win over the Little Hawks at the Iowa Soccer complex.
“It’s so electric and we are just one big family,” Tehanemt said. “To win something like this as a team is so exciting.”
City High controlled most of the opening half while creating several scoring opportunities.
However, it was West High that found the net as Teghanemt slipped a shot over City High freshman keeper Ben Borger-Germann with 2:06 remaining in the opening half for the only goal of the match.
“When I look at the stats it will probably be ridiculous how many more shots we had than they had,” City High coach Jose Fajardo said. “But it’s the one that you put in the net that counts.”
The win was the second straight for West High (3-1) which defeated Liberty High 2-1 on Tuesday.
It was the fourth consecutive win for West High against City High and the Trojans have outscored the Little Hawks 9-3 during its current winning streak in the series.
“Jose said it best, ‘they only had one shot’ and we did but it went it in,” West High coach Brad Stiles said. “Those things are meant to happen on a field like this and a great setting like this.”
While City High couldn’t cash in on its scoring opportunities in the opening half Teghanemt made sure West High made the most of one of its few offensive chances.
The sophomore took a pass just past midfield and slid past a defender before launching a shot toward the upper left hand corner of the goal.
“One of their center defensive mids slid over to cut off the passing lane so I really had nothing else so I had to take one,” Tehanemt said. “It went in the net and we just celebrated as a team.”
City High continued to create scoring opportunities in the second half.
The Little Hawks simply could not convert.
“We played well in every single position,” Fajardo said. “We controlled the defense, we controlled the middle, we controlled the possession, we controlled the shots we did not control the scoreboard and at the end of the day that’s what makes you win or lose but it’s impressive the way we played today.”
City High had several opportunities to pull even in the final 10 minutes.
West High keeper Jacob Gilliam made a leaping save of a Alima Mmunga shot from outside the box in the 71st minute and saved a deflected ball off a Barick Makabi touch in the 74th minute.
Gilliam came up with another deflection on a loose ball in the box with 4:19 remaining
“He is wrestler, he is a football player, he’s a baseball player and his older brother was part of the team and they brought him to a keeper try out and I said ‘all he needs is a pair of gloves’ he just wants to be out there getting hit with things,” Stiles said of Gilliam. “Really it’s a testament to our keeper coach Quentin Fisher of two years of solid work behind the scenes when no one is watching and Gilliam was solid tonight.”
City High dropped to 1-2 with the loss and will travel to third-ranked Dubuque Senior on Tuesday.
“I just told our team this is the best feeling I’ve had about a team in a long time,” Fajardo said. “I was very proud of how we played.”
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