In a tight quarterfinal matchup Tuesday night in Kalona, the Hillcrest Academy Raven boys soccer team opened the Southeast Iowa Superconference Tournament with a 1-0 win over the Highland Huskies. Defenses dominated the night, with the match scoreless at intermission. Things stayed that way into the final quarter of the contest. The Ravens got the only goal of the evening late when Mason Swartzendruber connected with Micah Gerber, for their 14th goal and fourth assist respectively, to give Hillcrest a 1-0 lead. That was more than enough cushion for the Raven defense who closed out Highland and preserved the shut out. Following the match, Hillcrest defenseman Isaac Birky and keeper Andrew Kauffman joined KCII Sports to talk about the Raven’s work on that side of that ball.

Birky said, “We always have to communicate, which guy goes where. I think we do a really good job. We’ve been playing together for a while. We’ve been doing good all season, but takes a lot of communication.”

Kauffman continued, “When you have a lead it’s easier to get relaxed. When it’s 0-0, you get a little nervous, but you have to use that. Stay focused. When you see the guy coming, you have to get in the right stance. Make sure you’re in position. It’s about a second decision on which way he’s going. You have to react to the kick and you have to dive. That’s what I did and I managed to get a hand on the save.”

The Ravens finished with 16 shots, eight on goal, and nine corner kicks as a team. Hillcrest is now 10-2 on the year as Highland falls to 5-9. The Ravens advance to the semifinals of the Superconference Tournament Friday at WACO where they will meet the Notre Dame Nikes who were a 2-1 winner over the WACO Warriors in the quarterfinals Tuesday.