PERRYVILLE — The Panthers’ boys’ soccer program is on a roll this fall.
Perryville defeated Edgewood 7-1 on Wednesday to increase its record to 8-0 on the year. Its offense has scored five or more goals in six of its eight wins and is averaging over five goals per contest. Perryville scored three goals in the first half of Wednesday’s win off the foot of Dylan Sayer, plus four in the second half with two more from Sayer and two from James Abrams.
“It’s giving everybody as much confidence as possible,” Abrams said of his team’s undefeated start. “The more confidence you have, the easier it is to be trustworthy with each other.”
The Panthers’ offense showcased its speed up top with the likes of Sayer, Abrams and junior Trey Givens and kept the ball in Edgewood’s third of the field throughout the match. The Panthers put 17 shots on goal in the victory.
Givens transferred from Elkton and was an All-County selection with the Golden Elks last season.
“Knowing Trey from past, it allows us to build from both sides instead of just kind of being one-sided as I felt like it has been from the past,” Sayer said. “It adds a lot of stability throughout the whole field and it makes all of us more confident.”
Givens is one of three new faces to join Perryville with experience. Senior Alex York transferred from North East and junior Jayden Myers rejoined the squad after playing with the program as a freshman.
“Teams can’t run with us,” Givens said of his team’s speed on offense. “Our through balls are great and we are getting on the ball every time and finishing.”
Perryville’s back line of Myers, Paytn Hulbert, Logan Shaw and Brady Martin showcased its own speed and kept the Rams away from goalkeeper Jordan York. Edgewood’s second half score from Nayo Matthews was just the third goal Perryville allowed all season.
“They’ve been consistent all year,” Perryville head coach Larry Sickels said of his defense. “We’re just happy with what we got back there and we are hoping that continues.”
The Panthers’ undefeated stretch is highlighted by a 2-0 win over Class 2A’s Fallston, a program that Sickels feels is a litmus test for lots of programs in Cecil County and the greater UCBAC conference. Sickels said he and his coaching staff aimed to implement a style of soccer that focuses on movement from all three position groups and being able to move the ball with quick passes. The first-year head coach added the win against Fallston was the first time he saw all the pieces come together at the same time.
“We’ve been trying to create this identity and that was the first time we really saw it,” Sickels said of last week’s win over the Cougars. “That was us, and probably not even us at our very best, but we were really, really good against that Fallston team and that Fallston team was really good.”
Perryville’s boys’ program won back-to-back region titles in 2022 and 2023 and reached the 1A State Semifinals in each of the past two seasons. The Panthers will host Tome on Friday.
“Just keep stressing the fact that we need to get farther than we got last year and in the past two years,” Sayer said of his team’s focus. “Just keeping this undefeated record and keeping our goal count up and confidence up throughout the whole team and the good moral. I think that is what’s going to do it for us for the rest of the season.”
Editor’s Note: Stats are unofficial and based off the in-game notes of Cecil Whig sports editor Patrick LaPorte.
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