The girls’ soccer Rams won the title of city champions for the second year in a row after victories over Wahlert (2-1) and Hempstead (3-2).

I have been a varsity mid-field player for 3 years now and this accomplishment is very exciting and uplifting for the varsity team.

Hempstead had a 5-year city-champ title streak after Wahlert had won the first 21 city titles. Now it is our turn. Senior’s JV team also had a 1-0 victory over Hempstead.

Currently, the varsity team sits at a 5-1 record overall, but 3-0 for our conference games. In conference games, we have defeated Wahlert, Hempstead, and Iowa City Liberty.

Out of the two intercity games we played this year, playing Hempstead was the more intense game. Hempstead took the lead with 18:53 left in the first half when Erin Rieckens scored a header goal off Grace Daack’s corner kick. Despite being down a goal at halftime, we kept our heads up for the second half because we had majority possession of the ball in the first half.

The second half got more exciting when I scored a goal with 30:46 left in the game. I took the shot off Sidney Kramer’s touch while she was making a move across the goalie box, but didn’t have a good angle for the shot.

Less than a minute later with 29:50 to go, Grace Daack scored Hempstead’s second header goal of the game off a free kick. Hempstead was back in the lead. Their coach, Chad Hollmer, was not happy with how the game was officiated and was given a yellow card for being too vocal with his frustration.

He wasn’t the only one to be awarded a yellow card in the second half. Aaliyah Wagner, a Mustang mid-fielder, also received a yellow card after numerous fouls were called on her.

As we proceeded to dominate possession in the second half, there were many chances to score. With a little over 16 minutes left in the game, Tia Martin, a Ram mid-fielder, scored off a penalty kick after a Mustang defender was called on a hand ball in their penalty box. The game was tied for the second time, but time ran out.

Moving into the first 10-minute half of overtime possession was more balanced, but still in our favor. Then, there was a free kick awarded to us with only a few minutes of the first half of overtime remaining.

Tia Martin took the free kick, right outside the box, about 20 yards from Hempstead’s goal.

The first time she took the free kick, it went over the cross bar, but the play happened before the referee blew his whistle. This meant a re-kick for Martin. Thankfully, she took advantage of her second chance and shot the ball right into the right corner of the goal. Because it was in overtime, this goal meant a second city title for your girls’ soccer team.

It is time for Dubuque Senior Rams girls’ soccer team to have a city champion streak of our own.