PEORIA — The Peoria City soccer team ’s run through the USL2 playoffs continued Sunday with a blowout win in the national semifinals at Shea Stadium.
The City got a hat trick from forward Luke Persenico to beat Tucson, 5-1, and advance to the national championship match.
The USL2 championship match is Saturday, Aug. 3 and could be played at Shea Stadium in Peoria. The official location announcement is scheduled for Monday.
Peoria will face the Seacoast United Phantoms in that game. Seacoast, based in Epping, N.H., beat Asheville City 1-0 on Sunday night in its semifinal to get to the title game. Seacoast has won nine straight matches and is 13-1-0 this season coming out of the Northeast Division.
Peoria is 7-0-1 over its last eight matches.
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“I’m in shock right now,” Persenico said. “I’m so grateful to be here, be part of this team and this community. My family was here today, and to be able to do this in front of them was special.”
Peoria and Tucson played to a scoreless first half. But Persenico opened the floodgates about 3 minutes into the second half with a bicycle kick style dazzling goal, and the City never trailed.
“We were not intimidated by them,” Persenico said. “That’s our mentality, it’s how (Peoria City head coach) Mike Paye teaches us. He reminded us at halftime that it doesn’t matter who we play. Just pick it up and play.”
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Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 'I'm in shock': Peoria City soccer dominates semifinal, will play for USL2 national championship
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