CAPE GIRARDEAU — Perryville’s soccer season came to an end Wednesday night with a 2-1 loss to Bayless. The match was an intense and physical one, with Bronchos players receiving red and yellow cards in the second half.
Bayless opened the scoring early with a goal on a free kick taken by Mason Bauman in the third minute. The goal appeared to be saved by the Perryville goalkeeper Noah Blythe, but was ultimately deemed to have crossed the line by the officials.
The Bronchos took a 2-0 lead in the 27th minute with a goal from Tristen Dobbelare, and kept the 2-0 lead into halftime.
“I think especially the first half we came out pretty timid,” Perryville coach Dwayne Hadler. “I think part of that is because we’re fairly young with a lot of different ages from freshmen to seniors all the way through. I think only a few of them had experienced district play against a team like that. I think it showed in their play they were a little more timid than normal. Timid is probably a strong word, but they were not as aggressive as they had been in the past.”
The Pirates ramped up the aggression in the second half, controlling possession throughout, especially after a Bayless player was sent off on a red card and another was booked on a yellow.
Dez Hampson brought the Pirates back within a goal when he found the back of the net with 23 minutes remaining in the game, but despite the added pressure, Hampson’s goal would be the last of the game, and of the season for the Pirates.
“I felt like we were getting beat in the midfield with the system that we were playing, so we changed systems,” Hadler said of the renewed intensity in the second half. “We bolstered our midfield a little bit and kind of changed some responsibility of our outside wingers and that along with just playing more aggressively and being confident to go forward and being okay to make mistakes, it changed. The second half, we created the chances, we were there, but we didn’t put it in, that’s about how it goes.”
The Pirates ended the season with a final record of 17-8, one win better than last year. Hadler said being undefeated in the conference regular season was a big deal for this year’s team as this was the first year they had to play every conference opponent twice, once at home and once on the road.
“We’ve won the conference eight times in a row and I didn’t know how this would change things but I’m proud that they fought for every game,” Hadler said. “Because when you play a team at least twice, it’s difficult because sometimes they get your number and our guys played better each game and that shows. Windsor was a conference game and we beat them 1-0 early in the season. We came back and had a mercy rule and won 8-0 late in the season. I think that progression was probably the most pleasing thing throughout the season.”
The team was led all year on offense by Hampson, who broke school records for most points in a single game in the last game of the regular season. Hampson, who did not even play soccer until his sophomore year, finished the season with 38 goals and 11 assists for 87 points.
“His rise in the last few years and even from last year to this year has been incredible,” Hadler said. “He was more comfortable in difficult positions and that led to such a good season, I think. I believe he was number five in the STL today rankings of most points and number four most goals. And that’s saying something with the St. Louis area, metro area, all the way down to us that there’s some really good players out there. And for him to do that, that speaks well to what he accomplished.”
Hadler said that because of the dedication his junior varsity staff has put into developing players, he sees a bright future for the program. Some junior varsity players even got playoff experience in the two district games the Pirates played in.
“For us to be able to play them in varsity games, even in the Bayless game, that experience is something that you can’t replicate on the practice field,” Hadler said. “The pressure and the energy and the fans and the other team. It’s huge for our future. Not to mention that if you’re a freshman, you’re playing against someone that’s three to four years older than you and bigger and stronger and faster. And to be able to get out there and to compete with them, that says so much for our future.”
The Pirates finished the season 17-8, the most wins for the program since 2021.
