West Central Valley Boys Soccer Coach Matthew Smith shares how the team responded after suffering their first loss of the 2026 season.

The Wildcats were defeated by Des Moines Christian 3-0 on April 28th to end their eight game winning streak to begin the year. Smith details that one of West Central Valley’s senior captains emphasized following the game that the one loss doesn’t define their team, as the end goal of winning a state championship is still intact. He gives Des Moines Christian credit by being the better team that day, but believes that the loss will be beneficial in the long run.

“Seeing a quality team like that is really just preparing us. We just showed some brilliant stuff (during the game), and at times, we didn’t show our best stuff. So this week has really prepared us for the next four games and our postseason, which matters the most.”

The Wildcats are currently 8-1-1, as they tied 1-1 with St. Albert in their latest match on April 30th. West Central Valley will be apart of the Big Red Soccer Classic in Centerville on Saturday, playing Danville at 11am, followed by Mount Pleasant at 1pm.