Saxony outlasts Perryville in PKs (again) in district semifinals

That’s two games between the Saxony Lutheran and Perryville boys soccer teams, and two penalty kick shootouts. The two teams faced off in the regular season and that contest needed a shootout to decide the winner.
The same could be said about their most recent contest, but it was for much higher stakes. However, the same result occurred.
Saxony Lutheran outlasted Perryville 4-3 in a shootout to claim the 2-1 victory in the Class 2, District 1 semifinals on Tuesday at the Bank of Missouri Soccer Complex in Perryville.
“Everybody in this area knows that Perryville and Saxony is an incredible rivalry and its hard to win a district game, let alone do so against your rival for the second time in penalty kicks,” Saxony Lutheran coach Chris Crawford said. “I’m so proud of my guys and we knew what we needed to do and took care of business.”
Perryville coach Jerry Fulton knew that if it came down to a penalty kick shootout that it was anyone’s game and anything could happen, regardless of who anyone thought deserved to win.
“I knew at any time we would get an opportunity and put one away in overtime,” Fulton said. “I just didn’t think we would go to PKS a second time, but it goes to show you how much I know. It just sucks for the seniors because they worked their tails off all year and they deserve much better. Soccer is one of those games that doesn’t always come out the way it should and, unfortunately, we came out on the short end of the stick tonight.”
Perryville came out strong in the shootout as freshman goalkeeper Waylon Huber made the save on the first kick of the shootout on Saxony senior Max Richey and Andrew Welk sent a kick past Saxony goalkeeper Aaron Zoellner for an early lead.
Saxony’s Noah Smith and Perryville’s Treyton Barnett both made their shots in round two, but the third round was where things changed. Saxony’s Michael Hasz scored his kick, while Zoellner stopped Tanner Hagan’s attempt to tie the shootout at 2-2.
Luke Eggemeyer and Kale Adams converted their shots in round four, while the game came out to the last kick of the shootout.
Saxony’s Jace Boland made his attempt and Zoellner made the save on the final kick of the shootout to send the Saxony team into celebration.

“Zoellner came through in that clutch moment like he has done so many times for us this year,” Crawford said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Perryville scored the first goal of the game and first in about 140 minutes of game action between the two teams in the first half as Eli Angle put the Pirates up 1-0 with five minutes to go in the opening half.
“We had a game plan and we stuck to it,” Fulton said. “We just had one hiccup when they got behind us and that cost us the game.”
That “hiccup came with 10 minutes left in regulation when Brayden Moore got behind the defense and slotted a shot into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 and the game continued well into two overtime periods and was decided by shootouts.
Neither coach believes that shootouts are a way to decide a game of this caliber or magnitude, but it is a necessary evil.
“It’s just a way to get the game over with, and the game has to be stopped somehow or we could be here all night,” Fulton said.
Perryville ends the season at 15-10 and graduates two seniors in Carson Adams and Jarrett Anderson. Fulton was disappointed in the way the season ended, but is proud of his team.
“There is only one team in Class 2 that will end the season being happy and unfortunately that won’t be us this year,” Fulton said. “We end the season with 15 wins and anytime you can win more games than you lose, it is a good year.”
Saxony will continue their quest for a district title on Thursday when they take on Affton at 5 p.m. Affton defeated Bayless 2-1 in the other semifinal.
“Affton is fast and has talented forwards,” Crawford said. “We are going to have to play our game and finish the opportunities we get to come out on top.”