For the second time in three years, Des Moines Hoover will play for an Iowa high school boys soccer state championship.
And to get to the title game, the Huskies took down the team that beat them for the title two years ago: No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes.
In the Class 3A semifinal matchup on Wednesday June 3, Isack Ramadhani played hero for No. 6 Hoover, scoring the only goal of the game in the Huskies’ 1-0 victory over the Mustangs.
“It means a lot, especially to a Des Moines Public School,” Ramadhani said postgame. “We believe in ourselves and what we can do. With God first every time, we’re going to get where we want to be.”
It didn’t show on the scoreboard, but both teams had plenty of chances to score.
The Mustangs picked up the first opportunity when Benjamin Pudenz found himself on a breakaway just two minutes into the match, but his shot sailed just to the right of the goal.
The Huskies added a couple of opportunities of their own after that, with Danny Baquedano Andino nearly sending a rebound off a free kick into the back of the net and Abraham Finiasi shooting the ball right into the hands of Dallas Center-Grimes goalie, Adel Islamovic.
Almin Islamovic recorded the Mustangs’ next attempt, launching a hard free kick toward the goal that Hoover’s keeper, Amisi Bita, dove to block.
The two teams exchanged a few more shots before the end of the opening half– with Dallas Center-Grimes outshooting Hoover, 4-3 – but the opponents headed to the locker room tied at zero.
In the second half, Hoover looked like the dominant team.
The Huskies picked up the first shot less than a minute into the half, when Riphan Lunganga’s attempt on a breakaway went wide. They continued to pile on the shots, but only one mattered.
Eighteen minutes into the second frame, Ramadhani collected the ball and took a shot that bounced off a defender. He scooped up his own rebound, dribbled the ball to the right and sent a hard shot down the middle and past DCG’s keeper.
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead with 21:32 remaining in regulation.
“We know when he gets around the box, he’s always going to be dangerous,” said Hoover coach Jonathan Rubino. “Honestly, we were just like, ‘Put it on frame, keep it below the crossbar and get this thing in.’”
There was no shortage of opportunities for Hoover after Ramadhani’s goal, but no other attempts found the back of the net. Lunganga took another open shot that went wide; Etungano Juma had a breakaway shot that was knocked away by Adel Islamovic.
The Mustangs didn’t go out without a fight, though, and Dallas Center-Grimes let off seven shots – to Hoover’s dozen – in the second half. Three of those second-half attempts were shots on goal, and Bita made massive saves for Hoover at the biggest moments.
“He’s an amazing athlete, amazing goalkeeper,” said Rubino. “Every time he comes out for us, he seems to make the big save. …We know DCG – their history, their pedigree, they’re well-coached. For him to keep us in it and come up with that big save in the last few minutes of the game, that’s enormous.
“He doesn’t have to do a ton, but when he was tested – and that’s the hardest thing as a goalkeeper when you’re cold and you have to make a point-blank save – he just seems to always be there when we need him.”
Dallas Center-Grimes finished the season with a 14-4-2 overall record.
The Huskies advance to the Class 3A state championship game on June 5 at 12 p.m., where No. 6 Hoover will face off against No. 5 Norwalk.
“We felt a little disrespected as that 6-seed,” Rubino shared. “I think we came in as the underdog, and we didn’t feel like we were the underdogs. We feel like nobody really expects us to go out there and be the top team, and we’re using that as motivation.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Hoover beats DCG in Iowa boys soccer state semifinals
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
