In the middle of a historic boys’ soccer season, the Washington Demons are now seeking the one thing they’ve never had: a berth in the state tournament. Washington takes on Cedar Rapids Xavier tonight in the Class 3A Substate 2 finals, seeking their first-ever trip to state.

The Demons’ 2-1 victory over Fort Madison in the substate semifinals Monday is their 11th win in 14 matches, the second-most victories in a single season in program history.

Washington won a Southeast Conference title for just the second time ever this spring, thanks in part to a balanced offensive attack. Sophomore Edwin Cortes has scored a team-high nine goals, while seniors Manny Raymundo, Brayan Arreola and Bill De La Rosa have found the back of the net eight times each.

Senior Randy Huertero leads a solid Demon defensive back line, while freshman Braedon Tappan has made over 100 saves as the starting goalkeeper. It’s resulted in a brilliant season, but there’s one more big piece of history that could be made.

Senior midfielder Angel Mata scored the winning goal Monday against Fort Madison and tells KCII Sports that, in a season full of success, making state has been his team’s ultimate goal.

“As a team, we’ve been talking about this,” Mata says. “This is one of our biggest goals. We took our conference like we know we should have done, but this is a whole new ball game, and we’re just looking to lock in and taking care of business going to Cedar Rapids.”

Washington will be taking on a Xavier team that is 9-5 but boasts the number-five ranking in Class 3A according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Led by freshman Ty Weiss’ eight goals, the Saints have won four of their last five matches and are seeking their 21st trip to state in the last 24 years.

The Demons look for a bid in the Class 3A quarterfinals, which will be played next Wednesday in Des Moines. Washington takes on Cedar Rapids Xavier for a Substate 2 championship starting with kickoff this evening at 7.