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Washington Evening Journal
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Demons oust Bloodhounds
Washington boys soccer team wins nail-biting Substate semifinal
WASHINGTON — The Washington and Fort Madison boys soccer teams have found themselves face to face on the big stage at two different times this month.
The Demons, who knocked Fort Madison off 1-0 in the de facto Southeast Conference championship on May 8, hosted the Bloodhounds in a battle of the last two remaining SEC teams on Monday, with a shot at the Substate title game on the line.
Washington and Fort Madison played a classic in front of a packed Washington Wellness Park crowd. The Demons prevailed 2-1.
“The guys have dug deep. They’ve had their sights set high from the start of the season,” said Demon head coach Sally Hart. “It’s one game at a time, and with each game, they’ve put in more work.”
The Demons struck first when Edwin Cortes took a pass from Brayan Arreola and found the back of the net early in the first half to give Washington a 1-0 lead. They held that advantage for most of the first half.
Emanuel Raymundo nearly gave Washington a 2-0 lead when his shot with six minutes left in the half got past the Bloodhound keeper only to hit the crossbar. A couple minutes later, Fort Madison’s Henry Graham scored on a direct kick to tie the game up 1-1, and give the Bloodhounds momentum heading into halftime.
“We’re a strong second half team,” Hart said. “We have been all season.”
The Demons, in fact, showed they were the better team in the second half. Washington began to wear on the Bloodhounds early in the period, and with 28:44 showing on the clock, Angel Mata sprung loose on a breakaway and beat the keeper to put the Demons back on top.
“It was a great assist from my teammate, Bill De La Rosa,” Mata said. “He was just there to get that one little touch I needed to find space, and find the back of the net.”
The Demons hung on, but it wasn’t easy. Fort Madison had a couple of big chances down the stretch, including a loose ball in front of the net with one minute left.
After saving eight shots in the last game against the Bloodhounds, freshman keeper Braedon Tappan saved six to secure the win in net.
Washington’s victory moved the Demons on to play at Cedar Rapids Xavier on Wednesday night with a shot at the Class 3A state tournament on the line. Results from that game will be online this week, and in Monday’s edition of the Southeast Iowa Union.
In other area action, Mid-Prairie knocked out next door neighbor Hillcrest Academy 2-1 in the Class 1A Substate 7 tournament. Tucker Miller and Sawyer Hough had goals for the Golden Hawks, and Micah Gerber scored for the Ravens.
Mid-Prairie will be in action as well on Wednesday night. The Golden Hawks play in the Substate 7 championship game at Regina.
