WEST DES MOINES - Hudson's best season in school history came to an abrupt end Friday night in the semifinals of the Class 2A state boys' soccer tournament.

Spencer forward Peter Walvatne scored two first-half goals and the Tigers cruised to a 2-0 victory at West Des Moines' Valley Stadium.

"I give (Spencer) credit, they're a great team," Hudson coach Armando Didovic said. "It's just that our guys didn't come prepared. Our guys were sloppy in the first half and that wasn't my team. I don't know what to say."

The first half was uncharted territory for a Hudson team that finished the season 18-2-1 and hadn't lost a single match by more than a goal. With the Pirates out of sync, Spencer's attack proved unforgiving.

The Tigers' Alex Toay drilled the game's first shot off the crossbar in the seventh minute. Nine minutes later, Walvatne eluded a pair of Pirate defenders and lined the ball into the upper third of the netting.

Hudson had an opportunity for an equalizer in the 28th minute as Wyatt Franken and Cheyne Reiter worked a give-and-go with Franken striking the ball just over the top of the goal from 10 yards out.

Minutes later, Spencer extended its lead when Walvatne chipped in a centering pass from Toay.

"It was pretty frustrating," Hudson senior midfielder Brandon Guenther said of the opening half. "We didn't get our style going."

Spencer's team was also dealt a blow in the opening half when midfielder Blake Viedenkamp collided head-to-head with a Hudson midfielder at the 50-yard line. Following a 25 minute delay, Viedenkamp left on a stretcher, but he had movement in his arms and legs.

In the second half, Hudson came alive. On four separate occasions, Pirate attackers had direct shots on goal that sailed over the crossbar. Defensively, senior Matt Holmes kept Hudson within two goals by intercepting a Spencer rebound that was destined for the net.

"Down 2-0, they came out hungry," Didovic said. "It's a great group of kids that is hungry no matter what the situation is. They'll give 110 percent every time."

Despite the Pirates' charge, a two-goal deficit provided too tall of a mountain to climb against 18-1 Spencer. The Tigers will face Dubuque Wahlert in Saturday's state championship game.

"Hudson is an outstanding outfit," Spencer coach Ben MacRae said. "We got two good chances and put them away.

"We came out in the second half trying to attack and see if we could get a third, it didn't materialize so with about 25 minutes to go we played one up front and just tried to hold our own, and we did it well. … Most of Hudson's chances were from the outside of the box."

The semifinal loss was a bittersweet conclusion for Hudson's eight seniors, who helped deliver the school's first ever trip to state.

"It developed 10 years ago (during recreational soccer)," Guenther said. "Then when Union joined with Hudson (four years ago) we all started playing together and we just grew. I never expected to get this far, but it's great to be here."

The semifinal loss was also Didovic's final game after three years the Pirates' sideline. The recent Waterloo West grad plans to concentrate on his senior year of classes at Wartburg College.

"Coming in (as head coach) I was 18 years old," Didovic said. "Some of the seniors I had first year were 18 years old and it was kind of a weird situation when they would come up and I told them what to do and they actually did it.

"I'll miss the whole process as far as having the ability to work with the kids and meeting the great families in La Porte and especially the town of Hudson. It's an amazing town and they gave us great support."