The Little Hawks head into Thursday’s matchup ranked second in the state with an impressive 4-0-1 record. In contrast, West High sits at 1-4-1. While the Trojans came out on top last year with a 4-1 victory, West lost several key seniors like Kaleab Wendy and Haider Nasr. The Little Hawks returned nearly their entire roster, graduating just three seniors. 

One major addition for Thursday’s game will be the return of Taylor Salinas, who missed a significant portion of the season. His comeback adds even more depth to an already strong City High lineup. The Little Hawks have been solid defensively in recent games, outscoring their opponents 10-1.

“I’m very excited to play again,” Salinas said. “To win against West, we need to stay locked in on defense and take advantage of scoring opportunities.”

The rivalry with West is one of the most historic and heated matchups of the season. It’s known for its intensity, with close and physical games almost every year. City High hasn’t defeated West in soccer since 2018, giving the Little Hawks extra motivation to change that this time around.

As mentioned, Taylor Salinas ’27 is expected to be a game-changer. As a freshman last season, he scored 10 goals in just 16 games. His speed and scoring ability bring a dynamic edge to City’s attack.

As for City’s seniors, they’ve yet to notch a win against West High during their high school careers. Team captain Jack Dancer ’25 reflected on that, saying, “It definitely stings to not have beaten them yet,” but added, “It would be awesome to be able to pull it off in our last year.”

Iowa women’s soccer field @ 7:15