Perkins stuns Norwalk at buzzer

NORWALK — Grant Hickman didn't just dream of the moment. "I thought I actually was dreaming … I can't believe it was real," Hickman said. "It seemed fake. I saw an open shot and knew I had to take it." In a match it had to win, the Perkins boys soccer team was tied with host Norwalk with 10 seconds remaining. The clock was ticking when the Pirates had a throw-in from the right corner, and Hickman hit the shot of his life. After a defensive header away from the box, Hickman was able to get a shot just over the head of three Norwalk defenders and goalkeeper Jose Negrete to give the Pirates the stunning goal with just two seconds on the clock. "Just got lucky it went in," Hickman said. "I've never made a shot like that before, and probably never will again. It was a good match. They are a very good team and it was very physical." Here's the goal of the season by Perkins freshman Grant Hickman with two seconds remaining tonight to give @PerkinsHigh a 2-1 win at Norwalk.The victory likely propels @PerkinsATH to a shared SBC Lake Division title, too.Insane. pic.twitter.com/hQlDlPMNtd — Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) October 4, 2022 The stunning 2-1 win means the Pirates (7-5-1, 6-1-1) can still earn a share of the SBC Lake Division title with wins over Sandusky and Clyde in rescheduled matches. Norwalk (9-3-1, 8-1-1) had already earned a title share and even a tie would have meant an outright title. "It was a really intense game from start to finish," Perkins coach Paul Lea said. "They were really tough and physical, and they had the upper hand in the first half for sure with a number of opportunities." After a scoreless first half, Perkins took the lead when Jon Normington-Slay also found the back of the net from close range in the middle of traffic with 30:39 remaining in the match. The Truckers, who let several close-range shots go wide all night, finally got on the board with just 7:41 left. Spencer Colahan was able to find a one-on-one opening off a pass from Mason Gamble, and his shot grazed off the hand of Perkins keeper Noah Normingon-Slay to tie the match. It appeared to be headed for a tie, but Hickman's stunning goal, off a throw from freshman Ryan Wells, gave the Pirates the win. "Jon came up with a great finish from a set piece," Lea said. "We conceded the goal by them maybe. We could have done a better job to defend that and prevent that opportunity, and maybe it wouldn't have been so intense at the end. "Grant he had to go, and why not — that's exactly what you should do in that moment and it worked out this time," he added. "It was awesome, and a great moment for him and the rest of the game." The chippy game featured three yellow cards and 13 fouls on both teams. The Truckers held a slim 9-8 lead in shots on goal. Perkins held a 14-5 edge in goal kicks and 4-2 in corners. "We had plenty of opportunities and didn't put any in the back of the net, especially in the first half," Norwalk head coach Wes Sellers said. "Slay is a great goalkeeper. You're going to have to take great shots to get one by him … there are no easy goals with him. Perkins deserved to win. They played a great match." As for the finish, Sellers said his team simply briefly lost track of a player — and paid the price. "We lost a guy on a mark," he said. "We sat back, he got a free look and made a nice shot. They were the better team tonight and deserved to win." Noah Normington-Slay made eight saves for the Pirates, and several came off mad scrambles with heavy traffic in front of him. Lea said he was a huge reason the match was scoreless at the half. "We're a different team without him," Lea said. "He's a captain, a leader … he's an excellent player and we're really fortunate to have him between the sticks."