WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Saturday, June 16, 2018 – Right out of the gate, the West boys were off and running in today’s Iowa High School All-Star Game.

Sioux City West’s Esake Hasen scored transition goals in the first and seventh minutes, and his side rolled to a 6-2 victory at Valley Stadium.

The West also struck with back-to-back goals early in the second half. North Polk’s Ben Hawkins (43rd minute) and Des Moines Christian’s Ben Webster (46th minute, assisted by Storm Lake’s Kevin Duque) sealed the win – the West’s third straight in this summer classic.

Hawkins scored again in the 70th minute, finishing a fantastic through-ball from Waukee’s Connor Wallace. Duque closed the scoring in the 79th minute.

Newton’s Matthew Yeager scored the East goals in the 56th and 75th minutes, with the second one assisted by Iowa City West’s Ahmed Abdalla.

A showcase of the state’s top graduated seniors, the East-West All-Star Cup is hosted by the Des Moines Menace. The Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association organizes the cup for boys and girls games, which are presented by Soccer Master.

The all-star action opened a doubleheader capped by the Menace’s Premier Development League rivalry match with the Thunder Bay Chill.

The girls all-stars take their turn next Saturday (June 23) at 5 p.m., also at Valley Stadium, also preceding a Menace home match (against Kaw Valley FC).

Related link: The 2018 all-star rosters