Number One? No problem for the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks soccer team Friday at the state soccer tournament in Des Moines. #4 Mid-Prairie eliminated the #1 ranked Blazers of Dyersville Beckman with a 2-0 shut out victory at the Cownie Soccer Complex. The Hawks were not intimidated by the Blazers top ranking as they took the game to Dyersville early putting four shots on goal in the first ten minutes and turning up the pressure. The pressure paid off in the 19th minute when a Beckman handball in the box gave Mid-Prairie’s Austin Errthum a penalty kick try. Errthum cashed in and put Mid-Prairie on the board at 1-0. The Golden Hawks doubled their lead with a big goal right before half when Wyatt Cady found Nick Stimson who magically appeared inside the six and chipped in a goal to make it 2-0. Following the game Head Coach Pat Cady broke down the strategy and what led to the great offensive chances in the first half of the game.

“We stuck with the game plan that we have had for the last couple of weeks. John Adams our midfielder, we put him on their good target, and then we took our forwards, our speed, and Austin, and we sent that ball down the field and our forwards started working hard. We went center balls back, and away we go, we just start firing away,” Cady said. “The only thing they had one us, is that they had a No. 1 in front of them and we had a four, and I told the kids it doesn’t matter anymore, this is the state tournament.”

Half number two saw the sense of urgency increase for Beckman. The Blazers held possession for nearly the entire first 30 minutes of the half but great play by the Mid-Prairie backs and goal keeper Spencer Shalla continued to fluster the state’s leading scorer Kyle Grover and the rest of the Beckman offense. After weathering the storm the Golden Hawks were able to close out the win with a 10 minute stretch of quality possession and play. With the win Mid-Prairie advances to the soccer state championship game for the first time in school history where the Golden Hawks will see a familiar squad in arch rival Iowa City Regina. KCII will have all of the action for you on air and on the web at KCIIradio.com with pregame at 11:30 and kickoff at noon live from Des Moines.