How the 2A No. 1 Gilbert boys soccer team blanked Knoxville to return to state

GILBERT — It took one half to shake off the cobwebs, but the Class 2A No. 1 Gilbert boys soccer team got the job done against Knoxville in the 2A Substate 6 championship game Wednesday.

The Tigers scored all three of their goals in the second half en route to a 3-0 victory. The win sends Gilbert to state for the third year in a row, and the defending 2A state champions will sport a perfect 17-0 record when they compete in the 2A boys state soccer tournament next week at the Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines.

“We didn’t want to be that team that went 16-0 and didn’t make it,” said Gilbert midfielder Jackson Johnson. “This was kind of our goal, but it’s just another check off. We’ve still got more to come, but this feels great.”

The first half of Wednesday's substate final game ended in a scoreless tie.

Knoxville did a good job at cutting off Gilbert's passing lanes and preventing any good runs by the Tigers during the first 40 minutes. Gilbert was also a little impatient on offense during the first half as the Tigers were whistled for being offsides on four occasions.

Panther keeper Carson Cecil also played well in the first half. Cecil made a couple of timely deflections, including one on a sensational 50-yard shot by Johnson, to keep Gilbert off the board.

But in the second half Gilbert did a much better job of adjusting to Knoxville's defense and executing its game plan.

"We made some adjustments at halftime," said Gilbert coach BJ Jordison. "We talked about how we needed to play more for each other. We did that in the second half, and it showed on the field."

Leading Gilbert scorer Tyler Holtan got things rolling for Gilbert in the second half when he outraced the Knoxville defense and knocked one into the net just over two minutes into the half for the first score of the game.

"We didn't let them make an advances on the pitch, and we locked them down and made some advances ourselves," said Holtan. "We got the job done."

More: Meet Tyler Holtan, the breakout star striker for the Gilbert boys soccer team

Holtan followed up his goal with an assist on Gilbert's second score. He had a perfect cross to Isaac Weary, who converted on a shot to make the score 2-0 at the 54:30 mark.

Gilbert iced the game 12 minutes later. Johnson did a well-placed corner kick that resulted in the ball being knocked around, and Logan Harswick ended up slipping the ball past Cecil for the third and final goal of the game.

Knoxville ended its season at 10-7.

Gilbert is the No. 1 seed in 2A entering state. The Tigers will face No. 8 seed Center Point-Urbana (11-4) during the 2A quarterfinals next Wednesday, May 29, at 1 p.m. on Field 9 of the Cownie Soccer Park.

"We've done all the work all season," Johnson said. "We've just got to let our talent shine and win another state championship."

Gilbert girls cruise past Humboldt in 1A semifinals

Wednesday was a girls and boys soccer doubleheader at Gilbert.

The 1A No. 2 Gilbert girls team was slated to host Humboldt in the 1A regional semifinals on Tuesday, but the storm that rolled through the Ames area meant the game was postponed until Wednesday. The Tiger girls ended up facing Humboldt right before the boys substate final game as part of a postseason doubleheader, and they cruised to an 8-0 victory.

"It was a good confidence boost," said Gilbert forward/midfielder Sarah Thatcher. "Last game wasn't our best. This is a good way to come back and show them what we've got."

More: Meet Katie and Elle O'Brien, the twin tandem helping Gilbert dominate in girls soccer

The Gilbert girls (14-3) had to grind out a 3-0 win over Gladbrook-Reinbeck during the 1A quarterfinal game at Gilbert on May 15. The Tigers were a lot sharper against Humboldt as they led 5-0 at the half and scored two more goals during the first three minutes of the second half.

Thatcher and Elle O'Brien each scored two goals and Madisen Powers, Claire Koenig, Abby Patel and Adi Siegel each scored once for the Tiger girls.

"I thought that the entire team took the next step," said Powers. "We showed that we should continue to play on. Finishing is something we can work on, but we're planning to put it away and get to state."

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert headed back to state in boys soccer with win over Knoxville