REDEMPTION: Panthers blank Eagles, 3-0,

other upset loss wasn’t an option.

After nearly 30 minutes of scoreless soccer — where strong play in net by both Cantrell and Eagles’ goalkeeper Mickey Mills reigned supreme — Perryville got a miracle from junior Kamryn Marcinkevich.

On one of the Panthers’ few first-half scoring chances, Marcinkevich took control of the ball near the 30-yard-line, where she proceeded to snipe a shot with precision into the top of the net, giving her team a 1-0 lead as the first half clock ticked down.

“She has a great foot,” said Sarah Murrell, one of the Panthers’ steadfast juniors. “We told her before the game, ‘If you get an open lane, just shoot it,’ and she did just that and it went in.”

Once Perryville had its lead, its defense took it to another level. From that point forward, the Eagles registered just a single quality shot for the game’s final 50 minutes.

It was a defensive effort aided by just about everyone.

Cantrell in net was superb and the back line was strong as the Panthers controlled possession, interrupted passing lanes and refused to give the Eagles a clean look at the net.

“We knew with the sun, Sarah Cantrell was really big on telling them, ‘Hey, I have the sun in my eyes, let’s not give up any shots (in the second half),’ so, at half, we talked about limiting all of the shots,” Myers said. “I didn’t think we were going to go pretty much with zero quality shots, but that’s what we did. Our defense, with Ella [Schwacke], Hai- ley [Myers], Maddie Caine steps in there, Macy [Forest] stepped to the back, Justina [Radcliff], those girls are just amazing.”

In the 51st minute, Perryville junior Brooklynn Myers was bumped a little too hard in the penalty area as she attempted a shot that was ultimately wide left, leading to a penalty kick opportunity for the Panthers.

Murrell was the one slated to take the shot, so she calmly stepped up to the penalty spot, stared down Mills in net and fired a hard-hit shot into the right corner of the goal, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead as they got closer to solidifying their regional championship.

“Before I go up to take the shot, I just take a deep breath and just tune out whatever’s around me,” Murrell said of her penalty kick strategy, “so I can focus on making it.”

Then, seven minutes later, Brooklynn Myers scored the dagger.

On a terrific pass from Forest – which found its way from midfield and bounced over a Bo Manor defender’s head – Brooklynn Myers sped down the pitch, tracked the ball and took control right in front of the net, giving her plenty of space to whack it to the right side of the goal and score.

That goal not only gave Perryville a 3-0 advantage, but effectively sealed the revenge victory for the Panthers as the Eagles were simply in too deep of a hole to fly out of.

That’s when the celebration began, with Perryville having avenged last season’s regional title slipup and redeemed itself.

The Panthers’ unbeaten record also earned them a bye in the following round of the postseason, allowing them to skip the state quarterfinals, making this week’s matchup against the Fallston Cougars (14-3) a state semifinal battle with a spot in the state title game on the line.

But, regardless of what happens, this has been nothing short of a magical season for the Panthers. “Win or lose,” said Cantrell, “this is the greatest group of girls I’ve ever played with.”