PEORIA, Ill. – Luke Persenico now owns, as of Friday night, the most significant goal in the history of Peoria City Soccer.
His 62nd minute winner gave the Carp a 1-0 win over Flint City at Shea Stadium in the USL 2 Central Conference Championship game.
“I can’t be happier to put our team in front. Everyone on this team works so hard. To be able to be the man that put us in front, I just feel blessed,” Persenico said after the match.
Persenico says he was in the right time in the right place to put the ball in the net. He says it was a great moment to get the goal, and even better to do it in front of a home crowd.
Peoria City Coach Mike Paye says he’s proud of the team, and excited for the community.
“This is not just for the kids that are playing, we are doing this for this community. We want this community to be a franchise that grows up to be one of the best in the country. So everything we do day in and day out here, is for the city,” Paye said.
Peoria City will now take on Tucson FC in a national semifinal match on Sunday at 1:30 P.M. at Shea Stadium. Earlier on Friday, Tucson FC defeated Project 510 of Oakland, CA 2-1 with a late game goal. The other semifinal is between Asheville City SC from North Carolina and SeaCoast United Phantoms of New Hampshire.
The national semifinal round is the furthest Peoria City has advanced in the 130-team league in its short, three year history.
For Peoria City Managing Partner John Dorn, Friday night was a dream come true, three years in the making.
“A stadium full of people, having a great experience, a team on the field that will do the community proud, and here we are,” Dorn said.
Hundreds of fans joined in the celebration on the pitch after the match, with kids getting autographs from the conference’s conquering heroes.
Dorn says when the game winning goal found the back of the net in the 62nd minute, he was celebrating with the club’s supporter group, The 309. He’s hopeful the energy from the fans can be matched on Sunday.
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