Western Christian, Davenport Assumption advance to Class 1A state soccer championship
The Western Christian boys soccer team has barreled its way back into the Class 1A state championship match. The Wolfpack will meet Davenport Assumption on Saturday afternoon.
The Wolfpack and Knights both advanced to the finals after winning their semifinal contests on Friday at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. The championship game will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Cownie's Field 6.
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Western Christian, the 1-seed this week, easily dispatched West Liberty during Friday's semifinal round. Assumption, the 6-seed, registered its second consecutive on-paper upset over second-seeded Dyersville Beckman, 2-0.
Here's how they got there:
Western Christian 3, West Liberty 0
The Wolfpack, now 17-1 this season, erupted for three second-half goals to take down an explosive West Liberty team.
Miles Baccam scored twice. The first came on a free kick in the 55th minute, and the second after a through-ball from Uchan Harberts in the 68th. Baccam, just a sophomore, has scored three goals in two state tournament games this week, and 18 total in as many games this season.
Jeremiah Kredit slotted home the final goal with less than five minutes to play, pushing the Wolfpack into the state final for the second consecutive year. West Liberty, the 4-seed this week, ends the year with a 14-4 record.
Last season, Western Christian lost 1-0 to Notre Dame-West Burlington in the state final. This year, they'll get the scrappy sixth-seeded Knights from Davenport Assumption.
Davenport Assumption 2, Dyersville Beckman 0
Assumption entered this week as the 6-seed but has muscled its way into Saturday's championship game. The Knights first beat third-seeded North Fayette Valley, 2-1, on Wednesday, then took down second-seeded Beckman on Friday.
Like the Western Christian-West Liberty game, this contest was decided after a scoreless first half. Assumption scored two goals in a span of four minutes to win — first from Billy Moore in the 61st minute, the second from Roberto Medrano in the 65th. The Knights improved to 15-5 while Beckman's season is done at 16-4.
Assumption is making its sixth appearance in the state championship game. The Knights won titles in 2002 and 2003 and finished second in 1998, 1999 and 2017. Western Christian is making just its second state final appearance in the spring season. The Wolfpack did win a fall state soccer championship back in 1996.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Western Christian, Davenport Assumption reach Class 1A soccer final
