DES MOINES — Perry’s Rudy Sarceno scored with 3 minutes and 28 seconds to play Thursday, but one goal was not enough, as No. 1 seed Pella escaped Perry, 2-1, at the Class 2A State Soccer Tournament.
Ethan Poulter scored his 33rd and 34th goals of the season to power the Little Dutch. Poulter found the net with just over 12 minutes left to play in the first half, then scored again in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Both teams played well in sunny and hot conditions, with Bluejay senior goalie Anthony Aragon keeping Perry within striking range by making 15 saves, several of which were acrobatic denials of quality shots.
Sarceno made it interesting with his fourth goal of the season, the boot coming shortly off a throw-in, but Pella managed to turn aside Perry’s frantic attempts to tie the game in the waning minutes.
Perry finishes 11-11 overall. The Bluejays were making their second consecutive appearance at the state tournament, their fourth in the past five seasons.
