Faith Alumni Battle for a Spot in the Soccer State Championship

June 1, 2018

Two alumni from Faith, who once played together as teammates on the Faith Men’s Soccer team, found themselves on opposite sides of the field today in the Class 1A semifinals of the boys’ state soccer tournament in Des Moines.  It was a high-stakes contest between Head Coach Ryan Sauser of Williamsburg (14-3) and Assistant Coach Scott Nilius of Des Moines Christian (16-1) with the winner advancing to the state championship game on Saturday.

Sauser (’10) and Nilius (’10) were four-year teammates on the Faith Eagles soccer team from 2007-2010.  Both were two-time All-Region selections for the Eagles during their collegiate careers.

Coach Sauser led the Williamsburg program to their first-ever appearance in the state tournaments this year. Williamsburg was ranked sixth in the state and won their first-round game over Nevada, 2-1.

Nilius’s coaching efforts helped Des Moines Christian become the highest-scoring team in the state of Iowa, as the Lions scored five or more goals 13 times this season.  They advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 victory over Iowa Mennonite, Kalona.

In the end, the high-scoring offense of Des Moines Christian was too much for Williamsburg to overcome as Des Moines Christian defeated Williamsburg, 4-1.  Nilius’s Lions team will play the defending state champions, Iowa City, Regina (17-3) in the state championship game on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at the James C. Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines.

Congratulations to Coach Sauser and Coach Nilius on fantastic seasons, and best of luck to Coach Nilius in Saturday’s championship game!