DES MOINES - Kayla Armstrong came to the Xavier bench during the second half of the Class 2A state soccer tournament Saturday with blood gushing out of her right nostril, thanks to a collision with the Sioux City East goal keeper.

There was blood all over her right hand and jersey as a trainer cleaned her off and tried to stop the bleeding.

Armstrong, true to her nature, was smiling and joking with teammates.

Despite all that blood, she had just scored her fourth goal of the game and the top-ranked Saints were well on their way to their eighth state title in a row, extending their own record for most consecutive IGHSAU crowns in any sport.

The final score this time was Xavier 5, Sioux City East 0 at the Cownie Sports Complex.

"I got into a little tussle with the keeper," Armstrong said mischievously with a smile. "She may have thrown an elbow or two down there."

A few errant elbows were not enough to stop Armstrong and the Saints. She scored three goals during a 20-minute span in the first half for a 3-0 lead at intermission, and her fourth (bloody) goal with 25:03 left in the game sewed it up.

"You can't stop her. It goes without saying," said Sioux City East Coach Tyler Mogensen. "She's a special, special player. We knew going in that we had to try to do something to slow her down."

Like just about everybody else, the third-ranked Black Raiders tried and failed.

Armstrong poured in eight goals in the state tournament and was named the captain of the all-tournament team for the second year in a row. She also was named captain of the state tournament team in basketball this winter when the Saints captured the Class 4A title.

"I'm definitely more surprised with my basketball, but they're both special," she said.

Armstrong finished her senior campaign with 47 goals in 20 games for the Saints (19-1).

"We're so proud of Kayla," said Xavier Coach Bailey Dorrington, who captured a state title in her first year at the helm. "We'll miss her, but I don't think anybody else in the state will."

The Saints began their string of state titles in 2006 and set the all-time IGHSAU record last year when they won their seventh in a row. Now it's eight.

"This is what they wanted. And they earned it. I couldn't be prouder," said Dorrington, who played on Xavier's state champs in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Armstrong, Sammi Shepard, Lizzy McWhinney and Lucy Martin started on four straight championship teams for the Saints as freshmen in 2010, sophomores in 2011, juniors in 2012 and seniors in 2013.

"It's been awesome all four years," said McWhinney, one of the stalwarts on Xavier's defensive line. "It's meant a lot."

McWhinney plans to continue her soccer career at Loras College. Martin, another defensive stalwart, is headed to the University of Iowa for pre-dental and biology classes, but will not play soccer in college.

"It's kind of sad that we're ending it now," said Martin. "I wish we could go on and on forever. Xavier as a whole has meant a lot to us. And being part of the soccer program is amazing."

Sioux City East (18-3) had a couple of early chances, but Xavier keeper Sarah Chicchelly steered them away. Then Armstrong, a Drake recruit, took command.

She caught a long pass from Sydney Wright with her upper body, sped away from a Sioux City East defender and booted the ball with her left foot into the right side of the goal to make it 1-0 with 35:22 left in the first half.

Armstrong is right-handed, but she's scored many of her goals with her left foot. Some athletes are ambidextrous, but Armstrong is ambipedrous.

Hurricane Kayla struck again when she lofted a shot from the left side that curved into the ride side of the netting for a 2-0 lead with 25:11 left in the first half. That play began with a long pass by Katie Ives, the transfer from Jefferson who began playing for the Saints in the regional tournament.

Xavier's third goal was an absolute beauty and stunned Sioux City East.

This time, Shepard did the heavy lifting when she blasted a long, free kick from mid-field to the front of the goal. Armstrong steered the ball into the net for a 3-0 lead with 14:57 left in the first half.

There were a lot of high-5's on the Xavier bench after that one.

Armstrong had her "tussle" with Sioux City East keeper Deianira Felts with about 26 minutes left in the game. Armstrong kept wiping her nose, trying to stem the blood, but stayed on the field. The officials apparently did not notice the blood, because the game was allowed to continue.

Armstrong, who has a feisty side, ignored the blood and scored her fourth goal with 25:03 left in the game to make it 4-0. That's when she came to the sidelines for repairs.

"I get bloody noses all the time," she said nonchalantly.

Armstrong shoved a little cotton up her nostril and returned to the game about four minutes later.

Freshman Brylee Bastain finished the scoring for Xavier with a goal with 7:38 left in the game.

The Saints outscored their three opponents at the state tournament, 13-1. Elizabeth Bailey, Chicchelly and Shepard joined Armstrong on the all-tournament team.

STATE GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT
At Des Moines

Saturday

CLASS 3A
Championship
Ankeny 1, WDM Dowling 0

CLASS 2A
Championship
CR Xavier 5, SC East 0

CLASS 1A
Championship
Davenport Assumption 2, SC Heelan 0