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The Iowa High School Athletic Association released pairings for the State Soccer Tournament May 30-31, and June 1, on the southeast side of Des Moines at the James Cownie Soccer Complex. In just its second year of existence, the Greene County boys will be in the Class 1A field of eight teams to play in the May 30 quarterfinals after Coach Carl Behne’s Rams (14-5) defeated AHSTW (Avoca) 5-2 in Oakland at Riverside High School on Saturday to win the Substate 8 title. Next up is two-time defending State Champion and second ranked Iowa City Regina (15-6). The Regals were 4-3 winners in a penalty kick shootout over the Rams earlier this season at the Nevada tournament.

The ISHAA uses a seeding system to determine the brackets for the State Tournament based on regular season results. Regina is seeded fourth with Greene County fifth. The match is set for 12:05 p.m. Thursday, May 30 on Field #8. The winner faces either top seed North Polk (Alleman) (14-3) or eighth seeded West Liberty (10-7). The Rams lost 2-1 to fellow Heart of Iowa Activities Conference member NP during the regular season and have not played WL. On the bottom part of the 1A bracket are top ranked and second seeded Waterloo Columbus (18-2) vs. seventh seed Center Point-Urbana (12-8), and three seed Sioux Center (13-4) vs. six seed Iowa Mennonite (Kalona) (12-4). The semifinals are at 12 p.m. and 12:05 p.m. on May 31. The third place match is at 11:10 a.m. on June 1 with the title match at 12 p.m. on June 1.

Saturday, Junior Gutierrez scored three goals with one each from Luis Velazco and Isaiah Losee. Velazco had two assists and goal keeper Cael Fisher and the defense pitched a second half shutout as the eighth ranked Rams improved to 14-5. The sixth ranked Vikings ended their season with a record of 18 wins and three losses. Losing by three goals was AHSTW’s largest margin in  a loss this season.

Gutierrez leads the state in scoring with 55 goals and Velazco has 27. Losee’s goal was his fourth of the season. Fisher had six saves.

Greene County never trailed on Saturday, but the score was tied 2-2 at intermission. Velazco scored just 4:37 into the contest, but Brayton Tuma tied it at 1-1 just 56 seconds later. Gutierrez scored the first of his three straight goals with 15:30 gone in the half on a direct kick, but Tuma tied it after 35:08 of the 40 minute first half had been played. The second half was all Rams with Gutierrez scoring on a penalty kick 8:43 into half number two. He added another goal with 28:12 gone, then Losee put a rebound off a Gutierrez shot into the net with 30:03 gone. Nine minutes and 57 seconds of playing time later, the celebration was on for the Rams, Coach Behne and assistant coach Chad Black.