PERRYVILLE — The Perryville girls soccer team spent much of the 2026 season proving it could compete with nearly anyone on its schedule.
Whether it was pushing one of Illinois’ top teams to the limit, battling eventual district runnerup St. Pius X into overtime twice or overcoming a midseason stretch filled with narrow losses, the Lady Pirates continued to compete until the final whistle of their season.
Perryville finished the year 9-10 and saw its season end May 20 with a 3-2 overtime loss to St. Pius X (Festus) in the Class 2, District 1 semifinals, but coach Dwayne Hadler said the record did not fully reflect how competitive his team had been throughout the spring.
“We were a roller coaster,” Hadler said. “We had some games, like the Waterloo game was incredible. They’re one of the best teams in Illinois and we played them to a 2-1 game and had our chances. A few games we weren’t quite there where we wanted to be. Sometimes we lost a lot of close games. Sometimes it’s all about a little bit of luck or unlucky. I think we were right there pretty much most of the games all season long. I’m so proud of them.”
The season featured plenty of highs.
Perryville opened tournament play by winning the Fox Tournament consolation championship, defeating Notre Dame (St. Louis) 2-1 in penalty kicks before earning a 3-2 victory over Fox. The Lady Pirates later collected convincing wins over Central (Cape Girardeau) (7-3), Fredericktown (9-0), North County (8-2), DeSoto (8-0), Saxony Lutheran (7-0) and Bayless (8-0) in the opening round of districts.
Even in defeat, Perryville showed it could compete against quality opponents.
The Lady Pirates lost 2-1 to Waterloo, Ill., a program Hadler singled out as one of the team’s strongest performances of the season. Perryville also dropped a pair of 1-goal matches to Villa Duchesne and Windsor, lost twice to district champion St. Pius X — including an overtime thriller in the district semifinals — and faced challenging tests against Festus, Notre Dame, Hillsboro and crosstown rival St. Vincent.
In the district semifinal, Perryville pushed St. Pius X into overtime before fatigue ultimately became a factor late in the match.
“They worked their butts off,” Hadler said. “It’s a good team. They did what we asked.”
Hadler said the Lady Pirates entered the match knowing opportunities would be limited against a talented St. Pius squad and tried to capitalize on mistakes while defending for long stretches.
“We weren’t going to get a lot of good looks,” Hadler said. “We thought if there is a mistake, we need to be there and crash the goal afterwards. They did that and we are proud of them.”
The season also marked the end of several key careers for a senior class Hadler credited for leadership, versatility and consistency.
Senior Ava Ernst provided a steady presence throughout her career and earned praise for her work ethic.
“Ava’s been a great player from day one,” Hadler said. “Gives effort 100% of the time.”
Brynn Wibbenmeyer delivered what Hadler called her strongest offensive season, consistently creating scoring opportunities near the net.
“Brynn Wibbenmeyer, she’s always around the goal,” Hadler said. “She has the most goals she’s ever scored in a season. Constantly there for somebody to play her the ball.”
Defensively, Reese Behrle anchored the back line and helped stabilize Perryville’s center backs.
“Reese, in the back, incredible,” Hadler said. “Defensively holds our center backs together.”
Alexa Hagan also embraced a major transition during her final season after moving from a more offensive role into the back line.
“Alexa’s been solid as a right back all season,” Hadler said. “She’s done an awesome job, after playing as a forward in the past.”
Hadler also praised senior Evelyn Mote-Fabian for staying prepared despite a reserve role.
“Every time we’ve asked her to get on the field and do something, she has been there and done a great job,” Hadler said.
Despite graduating several contributors, Hadler believes the foundation is in place for Perryville to continue improving.
He pointed to returning players such as Emma Blechle, LeeAnn King and Maddie Gremaud as key pieces for next season while also expressing optimism that Maysa Schindler will return healthy after battling injury. Younger players also gained valuable experience as the season progressed.
“Our sophomores stepped up,” Hadler said. “Charli Gerler and Lilly Cowell did an awesome job and a couple of freshmen as well. Maddie Cissell and Kaeli Klaus did a good job. It was a little big for them early in the season, but as the season progressed, you could see they were stepping into it a little bit better.”
For Hadler, the season ended with disappointment but also pride in a group that continued to compete through adversity.
“They did a great job,” Hadler said. “I’m proud of them. What more can you say?”
