PERRY–Madison battled to a 1-1 draw with host Perry on Wednesday, but the Blue Streaks left Alumni Stadium with their second straight conference title.
With the draw, the Blue Streaks finished Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division play with a 4-0-1 record while Perry finished 3-0-2.
“There will never be a time where a title is boring for me,” said Madison head coach Chad Butler. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy coming in here, but we played a smart game and saw it out to the end.”
Madison entered the game knowing it only needed a draw to win the league title while Perry’s conference title hopes hinged on the Pirates upsetting the defending champions.
“We knew we only needed a tie to win (the conference),” Butler said. “We basically came into the game with a one-goal lead, and (Perry) needed to beat us. Honestly, they say two-nils are the hardest to defend, and it’s true. We got back (defensively), keeping them out, and that works until they get one through. It’s hard to get back into the swing and push it back up the field after being compact for so long. It was a little nerve-racking at the end.”
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Reese Meister opened the scoring early on with a goal in the fifth minute off a Lilly Van Kirk lead pass.
That advantage stood steadfast until Kansas commitment Jordan Rowan delivered an equalizer in the 57th minute off an Andora Porcello assist. Rowan entered the game with 54 goals to her credit.
Madison’s defensive strategy revolved around Rowan and limiting the damage she could do.
“We had a particular game plan that we came in with,” Butler said. “How to move when the ball was in certain areas of the field, and (the girls) were on point the entire game. They were in their roles, didn’t try to do too much, and played smart. They broke up (Perry’s) counterattack and held them out.”
One Blue Streak was tasked with the one-on-one assignment.
“Zoey Deligianis was on (Rowan) all day,” Butler said of his senior defender. “Without a doubt. She didn’t play last year with a back injury. She came out this year and has been a huge difference maker.”
Deligianis rose to the occasion, keeping Rowan off the board for 56 minutes of gameplay.
“(Rowan’s) such an amazing player,” Deligianis said of the Kansas commit. “I love going against great players. I went out there, gave it my all, and hoped for the best.”
She made life rough in the back line for the Pirates’ attack with touches on lead passes, knocking them out of play and making life easier for the whole defense.
“I want to give a lot of credit to my midfielders. They helped pressure the ball up top,” Deligianis said. “With the ball coming through, I can read it much easier because of them. And I have the best goalkeeper in the area. I can rely on (Taylor MacAdam) for anything.”
MacAdam recorded 10 saves, some of which were in crucial moments when Perry was looking for the go-ahead strike.
Madison has its eyes set on a postseason run and already has the winning mentality with the regular season coming to a close.
“Every postseason comes down to who wants to keep going,” Butler said. “It’s not about the players that will win you the game; it’s the players who won’t let you lose. Tonight, we had a lot of those.”
Perry’s Katy Rockwell finished with 11 saves in goal for the Pirates, who closed out the regular season with a 10-4-2 record.
Perry hosts CVC opponent Jefferson in a sectional semifinal on Oct. 14 while Madison hosts Chardon.
