Western Christian boys soccer brings home program's first-ever Class 1A state championship
After back-to-back years of coming up just short in the Class 1A state championship game, including a heartbreaker against Assumption in 2022, the Western Christian boys soccer team was more motivated than ever to change their fortunes.
"When we were at the hotel before this game, we all looked at each other and said 'We can't lose this game for a third time,'" said junior Miles Baccam. "After being so close last year, we had to come out on top."
They managed to do that after defeating the previously undefeated GCGR 2-0 to capture the program's first-ever state soccer title.
Though the first half was a primarily defensive affair, the Wolfpack began to open things up in the second half.
"The first half was kind of like a chess match," said Western Christian head coach Souvanna Baccam. "Both teams were feeling each other out and moving pieces around. At halftime, we made adjustments and wanted to go after them right away."
They did that courtesy of Baccam, who scored the first goal of the game two minutes into the second period.
Seven minutes later, he scored his second goal of the game to give his team the two-goal advantage.
"I knew that when I had the chance one-on-one, I would be able to put it away," Baccam said. "I feel like those goals were a big turning point because our team is based on morale. When we score a goal, our attitude changed and we knew we would score another goal soon."
From that point on, the coaching staff decided to play more conservatively in hopes it would help prevent the Rebels from having the chance to score goals of their own.
"We wanted to push back and play some defense," Baccam said. "We knew that we didn't need to score again. So, if we defended well, we would take the two-goal shutout for sure."
The plan worked to perfection because, despite a couple of close calls, the Wolfpack's defense held strong to cement the win.
Baccam said that this victory was the payoff for years of hard work and hopes that the new hardware proudly displayed at the school will help drive more interest in their soccer program.
"We feel like this win will definitely help boost our numbers and lead to more kids coming out for the team," Baccam said. "We are a big basketball and football school, so over the past few years, the soccer program has been coming along nicely."
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Western Christian wins their first-ever Class 1A state soccer title
