Perry’s 1-0 win sets up a Substate Final Saturday with DC-G

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Javier Miranda (11) and Alvaro Soto (13) look on as the ball finds the back of the net off an Ivan Garcia (not pictured, to right of Soto) blast in the 69th minute. Perry defeated visiting Iowa Falls-Alden, 1-0, to advance to the Substate 7 Final against DC-G Saturday at 12 p.m. on Dewey Field.

Perry was visited by DC-G for a boys soccer match May 11. After 80 minutes of action on Dewey Field the Bluejays owned a 4-0 win.

The Mustangs will have a shot at revenge — and the Bluejays a chance to return to the state tournament —  when they meet Saturday for a Substate Final showdown at high noon.

Perry (15-3) earned their spot in Saturday’s game with a 1-0 win over a gritty Iowa Falls-Alden/AGWSR (11-9) squad at Dewey Field Thursday, with DC-G (10-7) advancing thanks to a surprising 2-1 win at Webster City (15-5).

Perry keeper Jorge Soto makes a save off a free kick late in Thursday's 1-0 win over Iowa Falls-Alden/AGWSR in a Class 2A Substate 7 Semifinal at Dewey Field.
Perry keeper Jorge Soto makes a save off a free kick late in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Iowa Falls-Alden/AGWSR in a Class 2A Substate 7 Semifinal at Dewey Field.

The Cadets were defensive-minded the entire contest and finished with very little time of possession, clearly preferring to pack defenders into the rear zone in an attempt to clog the passing lanes and keep the score down.

The ploy worked throughout the first half, with Perry constantly on the attack but unable to find the back of the net. Cadet goalie Kolten Peterson played a role, making several impressive saves during the course of the game to deny Bluejay attackers.

The Jays finally got the one goal they would need almost halfway through the second half when Alvaro Soto passed to Ivan Garcia on the right side. Garcia slipped a defender and fired with his left foot. Peterson dove to his left and got a mitt on the ball, but not enough to stop the shot from rolling into the nylon.

“It was a good pass and I knew I needed to shoot, which I do not do very much with my left foot,” Garcia said of his goal, his eighth of the season. “They were really playing a lot of guys deep and it was hard to get off a shot, so I knew I had better take it and lucky for our team it went in.”

Jeffrey Gutierrez passes the ball along the right side of the attack.
Jeffrey Gutierrez passes the ball along the right side of the attack.

The Cadets pushed forward aggressively in the final 10 minutes and nearly scored off a free kick, only to have the shot saved on a leaping effort from Bluejay standout goalie Jorge Soto. The Perry keeper was forced to make two other fine saves in the final minutes and finished with seven denials for his 11th shutout of the season.

Senior fullback Oscar Chavez was forced into a busy night by the style the guests played.

“I am pretty tired,” he smiled. “David (Cardenas) and I saw the ball quite a bit tonight and that was mostly because of the way they were playing. We wanted to score more, but we are happy to get this win … now we need one more.”

Head coach Gary Overla said he hoped his team would appreciate the victory.

“I had to tell them ‘hey fellas, we won this game’ because they did not look too happy after it was over,” he explained. “I think we thought we were going to come out here and really maybe ‘put one on them’ but they were a good team and that wasn’t going to happen.

“We had a game plan going in based on our scouting and the guys worked it perfectly,” Overla said. “We still have several goals ahead of us and we know whoever we play Saturday it will not be easy, but by the same token we are a long way from being satisfied and I like seeing that hunger in their faces.”

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Class 2A Substate 7 Semifinal

No. 5 PERRY 1, IOWA FALLS-ALDEN/AGWSR 0

at Dewey Field, May 28

Scoring by minute

PRY — Garcia (8), from A. Soto (4), 69th.

Saves — PRY: J. Soto 7; IFA-AGWSR: Peterson 6.

Shutout — PRY: J. Soto (11).

Video appears courtesy of PEGASUS TV12 and volunteer Doug Wood. Check www.pegaustv12.com for scheduled airings of the entire game.

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