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Lady Bulldogs overrun in second half, fall to Perryville 4-3
SIKESTON -- What looked to be an easy rout for the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs quickly turned south midway through the second half Tuesday against visiting Perryville.
Putting a sour note on a hat trick performance from senior Madison Chaney, Sikeston watched the Lady Pirates score four unanswered goals in the final 27 minutes of play to down the Lady Bulldogs 4-3.
"Perryville is a good team and we knew we'd have to play very well to beat them," Lady Bulldogs' head coach Doyle Noe said. "They scored quite a few goals in a hurry. I think we missed a few opportunities to put a few more in during the first half and they came back to haunt us a little bit."
Both teams were able to use Tuesday's gusty wind to their advantage with Sikeston (6-9-1) using it to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Chaney went on to put the finishing touches on a hat trick performance just eight minutes into the second half when she took a pass from a teammate in the box and buried her kick to make it 3-0.
Just when the Lady Pirates (9-5) looked to be running out of time to make up such a daunting deficit, however, Brooke Hogard gave them some life in the 53rd minute.
Hogard's shot hit the right crossbar and bounced back into the box where it looked to still be in play. A referee's whistle soon after halted the action as Hogard was credited with a goal to break up the shutout.
It was just five minutes later when Hogard took a long pass from the left side of the net and settled it in front of the net off her chest and into the net to close her team back within a goal.
"The wind played a big factor in the game," Chaney said. "Having it the first half was a big advantage and we definitely played off with the wind. In the second half I think we came out kind of big headed.
"When they had that first goal we just let go a little bit. Then after every goal we just kind of kept letting go."
Only 13 minutes were left in the game when Natalie Gremaud capped her team's comeback with a goal from high in the box that sailed into the back of the net to knot things up 3-3.
"We went into the half up 2-0, but I didn't feel real confident because I knew Perryville could score some goals, especially with the wind," Noe said. "It picked up a little bit in the second half. We got that early goal (from Chaney) but once they got their first one you could see the confidence kind of go.
"Good teams can step up and take a little bit of that, but we took the foot off the peddle. Once they got going and we backed off a little bit then they put a few goals in there very quickly and that was the difference."
Though Sikeston was able to stop Perryville on a free kick just feet outside the net soon after Gremaud's goal, it looked to be just a matter of time before the Lady Pirates struck again.
They put the finishing touch on their comeback with 9:27 remaining on the clock when Allison Moldenhaurer hit a shot from the top of the box to give her team the first lead of the game, 4-3.
Down, but not out, the Lady Bulldogs spent the final nine minutes of regulation pushing the ball upfield and got several shots off in an attempt to at least force an extra period.
Unfortunately for Sikeston, the wind and the Lady Pirates proved to be too much as Perryville held on for the win.
"I thought we were done," Perryville head coach Jerry Fulton said of his team. "I don't know what sparked us there finally, but when they settle in they can play the game.
"I never know which team is going to show up on the field on any given day. They showed a lot of heart just to stay in the game."
Watching their three goal lead slip away had to be especially disappointing for the Lady Bulldogs after a brilliant performance by Chaney. She gave her team the lead just four minutes into the contest by beating the goalie on a 50/50 ball and struck once again just three minutes before the end of the first half.
"She was all over the field and she's been battling a hip injury all year long," Noe said. "Today was really the first time I've seen her just be able to open up and go without any restrictions. It was a great effort by her today, but unfortunately wasted by the loss."