Perryville boys’ soccer coach Jerry Fulton had just one question for his team after Saturday’s 1-0 Class 2 state quarterfinal victory over Bayless at The Bank of Missouri Soccer Complex in Perryville — “Are we done?”
As one, the Pirates squad delivered a resounding, “No!” The Pirates (15-4) punched their ticket to the Class 2 semifinals on a goal from freshman Oliver Tucker, who scored with just 3:37 left in the second half off an assist from senior Treyton Barnett.
Tucker’s goal — his sixth on the season — left the Bronchos (21-8) reeling in the final minutes as Perryville continued its already impressive defensive performance to preserve its lead.
“This was a game we weren’t supposed to win,” Fulton said. “Nobody had us winning this game. Everybody had Bayless winning this game. It was amazing.”
As for Tucker, scoring the winning goal was almost pre-ordained — but it did take a little imagination.
“When I came in, I was super nervous, and I asked how to handle my nerves,” Tucker said. “They said, ‘Just imagine yourself scoring the winning goal.’ I just went back out, and I just did what I could.
“It’s probably my most memorable goal by far.”
And it was just enough. After spending much of the first half and most of the second on the defensive, the Pirates’ offense finally found a hole.
“The guys came up with a plan,” Fulton said, “and they executed the plan. It’s a wonderful thing to see when your soccer team works as hard as these guys did and pulls off the upset that nobody gave us credit that we could do.”
Last week, Perryville claimed its first district title since 2021, beating St. Pius X 3-2 in the Class 2, District 1 championship. Both of the Lancers' goals came on set plays, something Fulton said Bayless was also familiar with.
“All they do is win on set plays every year, every game,” Fulton said. “It’s just a matter of changing the game and making them play our game. How do you do that? Just pure pressure and working to clear them balls that were deadly and try not to give them any more throw-ins than we had to.”
Perryville’s defenders were working overtime for most of the game, as the Bronchos’ offense kept pressing. In goal, Perryville senior Waylon Huber had more of an eventful game than usual, finishing with 12 saves in his eighth shutout victory of the season.“My defense did great,” Huber said. “We had a game plan, came in and executed it, and scored. [Bayless] is really good at their set plays, their throw-ins, their corners — they’re lethal. But today we executed a game plan, fought for the ball and got it out.
“We found a way and we’re going to state.”
With the victory, the Pirates advanced to Friday’s state semifinal round, where they will face the Principia Panthers (13-11), the Class 2, District 3 champions, who advanced after a 5-4 victory over District 4 champion Father Tolton Catholic of Columbia.
It marks the Pirates’ first trip to the state finals since 2021, when they were second after a 4-2 loss to Whitfield..
“We’ve been [to state] three times,” Fulton said. “We’ve gotten a first and two seconds. This is our fourth appearance for the boys’ program. We’re going to, and do the best we can. We’re guaranteed two more games. We’re going to play two more games, and we’re going to be playing on the last day you can play. That’s our goal. That’s always our goal, and we’re doing it.” Friday’s semifinal is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, followed by the other semifinal — which pits Springfield Catholic (28-1) against Harrisonville (15-8) — at 5 p.m.
On Saturday, the Class 2 third-place game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., with the state final set for 4 p.m.
