The Pirates would not be denied.
Perryville scored early and added insurance goals in the second half to defeat Saxony Lutheran 3-0 in the Class 2, District 1 championship on Wednesday at the Bank of Missouri Soccer Complex.
It is the first district title for the Pirates since 2015. That team went on to reach the Class 2 state championship game and finished runner-up to O’Hara.
“We couldn't ask for a better start," Perryville coach Jerry Fulton said. "We talked just yesterday at practice that we need to be able to hold them off for the first 15 minutes and then play our game. Those guys came out with some fire and they were not going to be denied. I thought we outplayed them from the first whistle to the last just because we wouldn't give up. They were not going to be beaten on their home field for a district championship."
That much was obvious for the opening kick when Stratton Kaempfe won the ball on the endline and crossed a ball to Dayton Strattman who buried it into the back of the net to put Perryville (21-3) ahead 1-0 just two minutes into the contest.
"The only reason we got that first goal is because Stratton Kaempfe didn't give up on that ball," Fulton said. "That ball was going to go out of bounds, but Stratton worked his butt off, gets around his man and puts the ball in for Dayton who was standing there ready. It was a great effort on everyone's behalf."
Much like Strattman’s goal in the first 38 seconds against Windsor that started off the offensive outburst that was a 7-0 victory over the Owls in the district semifinals Nov. 1, that goal against Saxony set Perryville on the right path to victory. Which has happened a lot for the senior captain in 2021.
“He’s been a true leader for this team,” Fulton said of Strattman. “He’s led this team in goals and assists and he’s done it by example. It’s not that he will just sit there and talks a good game, he goes out and shows it. He never let the team slow down and kept them firing on all cylinders.”
Strattman led the Pirates with one goal and an assist, while Andrew Welk and Bryce Brewer tallied one goal apiece. Kaempfe contributed a pair of assists on the night.
That was basically all the Pirates needed as they outshot Saxony Lutheran 14-2 in the game to register the team’s 14th shutout in 24 games.
“The defense has been awesome all year,” Fulton said. “You don’t get 14 shutouts without good guys back there. Ty (Baudendistel) will be there when we need him. However, the defense in front of him has made his job easier at times. "I don't even know how many shots they had on goal, but it couldn't have been more than two or three," Fulton said. "Riley (Hagan) and Dillion (Schlimpert) in the back in the center have played outstanding. Kaden Laurentius on the one side has been phenomenal and Jarrett Anderson has played well as well. Then, Caden Litterst came off the bench and gave us the last 15-18 minutes that we needed. I just can't say enough about our defense."
Saxony which defeated DeSoto 3-0 on Monday to reach the district final did not get their first shot on goal until the 25th minute of the game.
"We came out a little bit flat tonight," Saxony Lutheran coach Chris Crawford said. "Perryville, hats off to them, they came out with a ton of energy and kind of stuck it to us right away. We could never really get our footing tonight and in a district final you're going to have to take a couple of punches and punch back, and we never had a punch back."
Crawford said his team couldn’t get anything going offensively.
“We aren’t fast across the field,” Crawford said. “what we try to do build out of the back and possess the ball to break teams down. We were missing passes and could never get those combinations that we usually do.”
Perryville added one to start the second half. Kaempfe found Welk in the box for a shot that scored for just his second goal of the season to put Perryville ahead 2-0 three minutes into the second half.
Fulton noted that he talked with Welk the day before the game about his numerous opportunities this season to score.
"I can't speak enough about Andrew Welk, who got the second goal," Fulton said. "That kid has hit everything on the field except the inside of the goal. I told him at practice yesterday, 'Andrew, tomorrow's your day, buddy. You've hit everything but the inside of the goal, so that's all you've got left to hit.' When he got the goal I couldn't have been happier for a kid to get a goal in a big game."
Fulton noted that Welk’s goal was big for the nerves on the bench, especially his own.
“The second goal was sweet, I’m going to be honest,” Fulton said. “As a coach you love the early goal, but you love another one to give you a little cushion. Saxony is good enough to put one in the net. We stepped to the midfield balls and won them there, instead of having to win them in the defensive end.”
If one insurance goal is good, two is better. Bryce Brewer scored in the 55th minute off a pass from Strattman for the game’s final tally.
Saxony Lutheran will graduate four seniors from this year’s team that reached their seveneth straight district title game.
While Saxony’s season may be finished, Perryville’s is not. The Pirates will take on the winner of St.Mary/Affton from Class 2. District 2 on Nov. 13. It doesn’t matter to Fulton who they play because they will continue to compete the same way that got them where they are today.
"It's kind of like what we told them yesterday," Fulton said. "I said, 'Guys, what do we have to change when we play Saxony?' They kind of all looked at each other, and I said, 'Nothing.' We've just got to keep training the way we train. We know what to do and we will not change anything to get ready for the state tournament. We're going to keep doing what we do."
