Dallas Center-Grimes’ Paisley Heidgerken post-game interview state finals
VIDEO: Dallas Center-Grimes freshman Paisley Heidgerken pushes Mustangs to state final with
AMES — For the fifth season in a row, Dallas Center-Grimes is headed to the Iowa high school girls soccer state title game.
The No. 2-seeded Mustangs surged in the second half against No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier, winning 2-0 on June 5 at the Lied Recreational Fields.
For as much as the senior class has led Dallas Center-Grimes to this moment, it was a freshman, Paisley Heidgerken, who secured the victory in the semifinals. Heidgerken’s shot attempt was deflected in for an own goal in the second half to put the Mustangs up, 1-0. She followed that up with a quick goal to lead 2-0 and put the game out of reach.
Things were slow in the first half, with Cedar Rapids Xavier having early pressure, followed by some counterattacks from the Mustangs in the latter parts of the half. Regardless, after 40 minutes of action, both squads were tied at zero.
About 10 minutes into the second half, the Mustangs finally got on the board after pressuring the Saints’ defense consistently. A shot from senior Alexa Gill was deflected by the goalkeeper, but remained in play. A shot from Heidgerken came from a tight angle and appeared to be deflected into the back of the net by a Saints defender for an own goal.
With 24 minutes to go, it was Heidgerken again who capitalized on a mistake from Cedar Rapids Xavier. As the goalie and a Saints defender closed in on the ball, the freshman raced between both to fire a shot into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Dallas Center-Grimes coach Dan James said after the game that Heidgerken’s extra efforts are a big reason she has been able to make an impact this season. Her chase after the play may not always result in a goal for herself, but it often leads to offense for others.
On June 5, however, her effort was rewarded on the scoresheet to help push her squad to the finals.
“You can just never lay off,” Heidgerken said. “You just got to keep going, they’re not easy goals.”
Cedar Rapids Xavier’s season comes to an end with an 8-4-4 record after starting the tournament with a 10-0 drubbing of Bondurant-Farrar in the quarterfinals on June 3. The Saints made their second consecutive state tournament this spring, the 19th appearance for the program all-time.
But it’s the Mustangs who move on, though. DCG is a program that has established itself as one of the premier teams in Iowa, with three consecutive state titles and now five consecutive state finals appearances. With a win over Waverly-Shell Rock on June 7, the senior class could leave as one of the most accomplished groups of athletes in DCG history.
Still, there’s a match in front of them against top-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock before that discussion happens. It’s a contest they won’t take lightly after the Mustangs lost 2-0 to the Go-Hawks earlier in the season. However, it’s a matchup they relish by knowing that it will inevitably produce some great action for the state final.
“They’re always one of the top teams in the state, so I expect nothing but a dog fight on Saturday from coach (Scott Shara) and the Waverly girls,” James said. “Every time we play, it’s always just a battle. It’s one of the games that our girls always circle on the calendar in the beginning of the year because they just know, win or lose, it’s going to be a really good match with that opponent.”
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
