Buerck’s hat trick leads Perryville past Knights

By Kevin Jenkins | March 27, 2018 |

FARMINGTON – Perryville dominated time of possession against Farmington while enduring a damp and slick soccer field on Monday.

The Lady Pirates ran their offense through forward Leah Buerck, who netted a hat trick that paved the way to a 3-1 victory.

They established a clear advantage early on the attack, and frequently pursued the goal to break down the Farmington defense.

Goalkeeper Rachel Turner denied the first three shots by Perryville (2-2) in the opening five minutes, and tallied 10 saves for Farmington (2-3) during its home opener.

The wet conditions caused multiple passes and shots to veer away from their intended targets, and aided Turner in protecting the goal.

Buerck created her first open shot in the 19th minute by beating a defender down the field, but caught the outside of right post. But four minutes later, she buried a rebound that Turner deflected right at the goal for a 1-0 lead.

Riley Turner had a prime chance to even the score with just over a minute remaining in the first half, but her drive was knocked behind the goal by Perryville keeper Adrienne Weibrecht.

The resulting corner was headed wide by Alyson Tucker, and the Lady Pirates controlled a 1-0 edge at the intermission.

Perryville struck more quickly in the second half after Jaylen Strattman delivered a precise cross directly in front of the goal to Buerck, who finished for a 2-0 lead just eight minutes into the period.

Emma King assisted the third and final goal on a lead pass that found Buerck about 10 yards away from the net with 27 minutes on the clock.

Tucker crossed a free kick right at into the box from about 20 yards out, and Riley Turner headed the ball over her shoulder to notch the lone goal for the Knights with just 3:30 remaining.

Weibrecht made an exceptional sliding save in the 63rd minute against Riley Turner, then stopped her again with 18:15 to play on a wide-open attack. Weibrecht recorded five saves against eight shots by Farmington, and Perryville generated 25 chances at the goal.

The Lady Pirates remained aggressive on both sides of the ball down the stretch to protect their lead. Rachel Turner played high up in the box to interrupt several late attacks.