Buga's return sparks Perkins to 2-0 victory

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins' boys soccer team was prepared to go without standout goalkeeper Danny Buga in its tournament opener Thursday. Buga suffered a high ankle sprain in a football game at Norwalk two weeks ago and wasn't expected to play. Then Perkins coach Paul Lea got a text. "He texted me around noon or 1. It wasn't confirmed then; he was gonna see the trainer (Jordan Bowers)," Lea said. "About 4:45 (75 minutes before the match) he said he was good to go. We had planned to play without him so it was a huge bonus. "He's such a huge part of the team and I'd go as far to say he's our second-best player behind Titus (Normington-Slay)." Buga made 10 saves to help the Pirates defeat Kenton 2-0 at Firelands Health Stadium. He made a diving save in the first half to keep Kenton off the board. "He placed it really good in that top corner," Buga said. "I dove, got to it, boom." Buga ran his season saves total to a school-record 109. The big junior also has the career record with 250 saves. "The second he said he's good to go, that changes our entire team," Lea said. "With him we have a chance to win the district. I don't think he's 100 percent but he was desperate to play." Buga, the kicker on Perkins' undefeated football team, says he plans to play Friday as the Pirates try to finish the season undefeated. He worked hard to get his ankle ready. "I got a guy thrown right onto my ankle (in the Norwalk football game)," he said. "My ankle everted and I sprained it really bad. It still really hurts, but I'm playing through it. It's the playoffs; we lose, we're done. "I want to keep playing with Titus and Maddox (Boggs) and the seniors. I wanted to at least try. I spent the last two weeks with Jordan our trainer trying to get back. Today I felt really good. I ran a couple laps and told Coach Paul I'm ready." Kenton, the No. 7 seed in Perkins' Division IV district, upset Oak Harbor 6-1 in the first round. That's the same Oak Harbor team that defeated Perkins 4-3 on October 12 with Buga on the sideline. "We knew they're a really good team; they're in a really tough conference," Lea said. "Two-nothing is a real scoreline, not like some of the 10-nothings or 15-nothings you see." Normington-Slay, one of five seniors playing for the last time at home, scored both Perkins goals in the first half. He scored midway through the half in front of the goal when Kenton failed to clear the ball. With 12:33 left in the half, Normington-Slay made a spectacular play to make it 2-0. With his back to the goal, he let the ball roll through his legs — and the defender's legs. He spun around and blasted a shot past Kenton's keeper. "A lot of times when you have a pass that's not coming right at you, and you have to move to get it, the defender has to move with you," Normington-Slay said. "If you just keep moving and don't receive the ball, the defender is gonna keep moving and miss the ball. It's called a 'dummy' — I do it a lot. I just let it go and went around him." Normington-Slay pushed his career goals total to 91, which is a school record. "He's an excellent player, great captain," Lea said. "He sets a really good standard and demonstrates the kind of effort that's needed during games. "He's so fast. He's the best on the team with the ball at his feet and he's probably the fastest player on the team. You put those two things together and he's a nightmare for everybody." Normington-Slay was glad to have Buga back in goal. "He saved us a couple times," he said. "He just has that instinct when to come out and get the ball, when not to." Fourth-seeded Perkins (12-5-1) advances to district play against top-seeded Clear Fork at 7:15 p.m. next Wednesday at Contractors Stadium in Norwalk. The Colts are 13-1-4. "I think (Clear Fork) is seventh in the state, last time I checked," Lea said. "It's probably the most difficult game we could play between either bracket, but if the boys can put two halves together we think we have a chance."