Perkins falls to Elida in district final

ELIDA — Perkins had answered once. Elida controlled possession for most of the first half and finally got on the board late in the half. The Pirates needed just 15 seconds to respond and tie the game. Elida struck again early in the second half, but Perkins didn't find the answer as the Bulldogs won 3-1 over the Pirates in a Division III girls soccer district championship game at Elida High School. "Just like when they scored the first goal, we came back and answered," Perkins coach Scott McVeigh said. "I thought we showed a lot of toughness and a lot of grit. They're good. Give them credit. That quick goal out of halftime against a team like this is tough. They have a ton of talent." Perkins finishes the season with a record of 16-3-1. With so many turf fields in and around the Sandusky Bay Conference area, Saturday was one of the few times that the Pirates played on grass this season. "I would love to have this facility," McVeigh said. "A grass field like this to me is so much better than turf. I would take this any day of the week. It wasn't much of an adjustment. We practice on grass most of the time. This field is in such good shape. I don't think that was a factor at all this game." Elida (14-5-1) had countless opportunities over the first 35 minutes, but Pirates goalie Lucy Miller turned away each chance. That was until there was 3:54 to go in the half. That's when Savannah Swickrath got a shot past Miller. What would have been a tough conversation at halftime quickly turned around. On the restart, Jordyn Brunner booted a pass up to Isabella Ramirez. She went up the left side and rocketed a shot past Elida goalie Arwen Troyer. Suddenly, the game was tied at 1. "We thought we could really transition off of their press," McVeigh said. "We had numerous opportunities where we got it out quick and went, but didn't capitalize on them. Jordyn played a great ball to Isa and Isa, even with a defender on her, placed it perfectly and got a quick goal back." The teams took the tie into halftime where both had an opportunity to reset. Elida quickly scrapped Perkins' plans when Lexie Good got a left-footed shot off. Miller got a hand on it, but it trickled past her and into the goal to make it 2-1 just 33 seconds into the half. "It's everything we watched and scouted on tape," said McVeigh of the Bulldogs. "Their front three are so good. Lexie Good, besides (Norwalk's) Claire Spettle, is probably one of the best players we've seen all year. Defensively, I thought we did a phenomenal job of shutting her down." Perkins had chances the rest of the way, but struggled to maintain possession due to Elida's sweltering pressure on a cool, cloudy day. Gabby Ludington scored in the final 10 minutes for Elida to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. Elida had a 19-2 edge in shots and a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. "Lucy showed a lot of maturity today," McVeigh said. "I know her. She's mad at herself because of the second goal. I told her that she did so many good things in this game that she couldn't let that one thing (bother her). That's the game of soccer." Perkins has just one senior on its roster of 23 players and it is defender Adylynn West. "Ady has seen a lot," McVeigh said. "Those four years go by quickly. We appreciate everything she's done for us." The Pirates will return a plethora of talent next season. Perkins was a district champion last year and looks to return to that stage in 2026. Miller, Ramirez, Jordyn Brunner, Mallorie Jones and a healthy Ireland Hart are just some of the names that will come back for the Pirates. "We have a lot coming back," McVeigh said. "You look at this junior group, they've got a lot of experience. I thought we showed a lot of maturity, even today. They score and boom, we came right back. I think at the beginning of the season, we probably wouldn't do that. "We've made big strides this year. Hopefully next year we can take the next step."