Pirates struggle in loss to Orchard Farm in Class 2 semifinals

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Defense has been the calling card for the Perryville girls soccer team all season. The team had allowed just 11 goals this season and shut down powerful offensive teams and players throughout the run to the program’s first final four run in history.

Apparently Orchard Farm and its senior Emma Long are a different breed. Long, an SIU-Edwardsville commit, tallied a hat trick to lead the Eagles past Perryville 4-0 in a Class 2 semifinal on Friday at the Wide World Technology Complex in Fenton.

The scoring output by Orchard Farm is the most goals surrendered by Perryville in a single game this season.

Nerves and jitters seemed to get the best of the contest as everything just seemed off for Perryville throughout the entire game. Orchard Farm had something to do with that as well, as they controlled much of the possession and action outshooting Perryville 19-2. The Pirates had one shot in each half.

Long has had at least 34 goals in each of her three varsity seasons and with three more on Friday has 39 for the season. Her first goal came on a through ball that placed her in space and one-on-one with Perryville goalkeeper Brooklyn Moll. Long calmy deposited a shot in the corner to get the Eagles on the board after continued pressure.

The backbreaker for the Pirates came with less than one minute to go in the first half. Hannah Ramsey fired a shot off the crossbar that went to Long on the backside, who tapped it in with 34 seconds left in the half, much like Perryville did to Bishop-DeBourg days prior in the Class 2 quarterfinals.

Long added her third goal and Ashlyn Ohlms added another for the four goal margin with 15 minutes left in the second half.

Perryville will try to end the season with a victory as they will play Pleasant Hill at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for third place. Pleasant Hill fell to MICDS 3-0 in the other semifinal.