PERRYVILLE — While Kent County’s bid for a region championship in high school boys soccer ended with a loss at Perryville for the third year in a row, it would be a disservice to the Trojans of 2024 to lump this year’s defeat with the other two.
The scores alone — 2-1 on Saturday, Oct. 26 vs. 10-1 in 2023 and 6-0 in 2022 — tell a different story.
In the most recent Class 1A East Region I semifinal match-up, KCHS took a 1-0 lead about 20 minutes in when senior Ethan Clark poked the ball past Perryville keeper Jordan York for a 1-0 lead that held up through the opening half. Freshman Dylan Peralta’s cross landed at the feet of Clark, who scored from close range.
It might have been 2-0 at the break if KCHS had been awarded a penalty kick in the 10th minute for a Perryville handball in the box. Instead, the officials held the whistle because the foul was unintended.
Perryville, the region’s top seed after an 11-0-1 regular season, deadlocked at 1-all within the first two minutes of the second half and scored what held up to be the winning goal in the 62nd minute.
“We knew they would come out in the second half, and they did,” Kent County coach Dennis Hickman told The Evening Enterprise in a phone interview.
“They made some adjustments and moved people around,” he added.
The Trojans also had scoring opportunities in the second half.
Trailing 2-1, it appeared as if sophomore Gabe Parr had netted the equalizer, but the goal was waived off for an offside infraction.
In the waning minutes, everyone was pulled up when Kent County was awarded a direct kick at the 12. Clark and Jayden Miller were crashing at the far post for Stewart Hickman’s booming kick, which “just didn’t get in,” coach Hickman said.
“There were so many ‘almosts.’ The boys really played their hearts out. They left it all on the field. I’m proud of them,” Dennis Hickman said.
“We weren’t dominated,” he added, alluding to the playoff losses of 2023 and ’22.
Among those singled out by coach Hickman for elevating their play were defensive midfielder Colbyn Lopez and left wing Peralta.
At the top of the list was junior varsity call-up Kiyan Hynson, who on one day of practice made his first-ever appearance as goalie.
“He did great,” Hickman said of Hynson.
The Trojans finish 6-8, their best record since the 7-6-1 region championship campaign of 2021.
“I’d like to have a couple of games back, but overall I think we competed very well,” coach Dennis Hickman said in last week’s phone interview. “We built on what we did last year, and we’ll build on this year for next year and be in that region final.”
Kent will return most of the varsity roster — graduating only Clark, Nick Stead and Leyder Cruz — plus has a re-booted jayvee program to draw from.
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Perryville (13-1-1) defeated Colonel Richardson, 3-0, on Oct. 29 to three-peat as the region champ.
Colonel Richardson (9-5) advanced after eliminating St. Michaels, 3-1, in the other region semifinal.
On Friday night, defending Class 1A state champion Harford Tech (10-5-1) defeated Perryville, 5-0, in the round of eight.