ST. LOUIS — Perryville erased an early deficit and battled back to take the lead, but Villa Duchesne answered late and scored the game-winner in the second overtime period to hand the Lady Pirates a 4-3 loss on April 14.
The back-and-forth contest featured momentum swings throughout, as Perryville fell behind early before rallying, only to see the host Saints force overtime and ultimately secure the victory in double overtime.
The Saints (4-3-1) struck first with 2 goals in quick succession in the opening half, putting the Lady Pirates (5-3) in an early hole. The Lady Pirates struggled to find rhythm in the opening minutes, but eventually responded.
“We started out pretty slow, not a lot of intensity,” Perryville coach Dwayne Hadler said. “And then after they scored the second goal, I don’t know if that’s what took us to wake up, but we did.”
Perryville answered with a goal from Emma Blechle to cut the deficit in half, then continued to build momentum. Ava Ernst added a goal and an assist, while Maysa Schindler also found the back of the net as the Lady Pirates scored 3 unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead.
Taylor Brown contributed an assist in the effort, while Brynn Wibbenmeyer and Lillian Cowell also added assists as Perryville’s offense spread the ball effectively across multiple players.
“I think this one was probably more of a collective effort than any game we played all year,” Hadler said. “It was very balanced scoring and defensive work.”
But Villa Duchesne responded in the closing minutes of regulation, finding the equalizer late in the second half to tie the match at 3-3 and force overtime.
Both teams had chances in the first overtime period but were unable to break through, sending the match into a second extra session.
The Saints carried that momentum into the second overtime, scoring the decisive goal to complete the comeback.
Despite the loss, the Lady Pirates had multiple opportunities to regain control late in regulation and into overtime.
“We even had a couple more off the post,” Hadler said. “We were close. We were knocking on the door. It was just — luck just wasn’t on our side for that game.”
Villa Duchesne was led by Paige Hoff, who scored the game-winning goal, while Jillian Lawler and Millie McNichols each added goals. Molly Kisner, Frannie Kluesner and Maddy Nevins contributed assists in the win.
Perryville goalkeeper Lillian Cowell finished with 93 minutes in goal, allowing 4 goals in the loss, while Villa Duchesne keeper Kearney Moore recorded 17 saves to help preserve the victory.
“We played well, but not great, and nobody really stood on their head,” he said.
