ADEL — ADM scored off a corner kick midway through the second 10-minute overtime period Tuesday to topple Perry, 1-0, in a Racoon River Conference boys soccer thriller.
ADM, ranked 11th, improved to 9-5 overall and 4-1 in RRC play while sixth-ranked Perry stumbled to 8-4, 5-1.
“The kicker is that we possessed the ball for a majority of the game and lost because of the fact that we lack finishing skills,” a disappointed Perry head coach Gary Overla said. “We had about three or four good opportunities to score and we simply did not get it done.”
“The biggest disappointment came on a missed penalty kick that we didn’t put on frame!” an exasperated Overla said. “A missed PK that we didn’t put on frame! Those hurt.”
Perry missed numerous opportunities to expand a 1-0 first-half lead against visiting DC-G Thursday, and those passed-upon chances ended up dooming the Bluejays in a 2-0 loss.
The Bluejays were in action Saturday at the Nevada tournament, which they opened with a 3-0 win over Kuemper Catholic. Mario Saldana, Carlos Vargas and Anthony Velasco scored for Perry, with Ever Tobar and Velasco providing assists.
A 3-0 loss to Des Moines Hoover followed, with 1A No. 2 Iowa City Regina defeating Perry, 1-0, in the third game of the day.
Perry started the current season 7-0 but has now dropped 4-of-5. A 1-5 swoon from May 5-17 last year threatened to derail the season, but the Jays were able to bounce back and reach the state tournament, a repeat Overla is clearly hoping for.
“We look great from 18 to 18 (yard-line) but once we get inside the 18 (the top of the defensive box) we had a bad touch, or we overshoot the goal, or we make a poor choice, or we etc, etc, etc,” he said. “We need to figure out how to finish with accuracy or we’ll never get it done late in the season.”
“It is a mental thing, but we need to work more on it in practice I suppose,” Overla continued. “I mean a lot. Oh well, we are still 8-4, but 7-0 seems like a long time ago. Hopefully we get back on track.”
Carroll visits Perry Thursday, with Perry hosting their twice-postponed tournament Saturday at Dewey Field. Perry will play Des Moines North at 9 a.m., with North battling Lewis Central at 10:30 a.m. The final match will pit Perry against Lewis Central at 12 p.m.
