Oct 14, 2013 4 min read

WASHINGTON – On a night when Ringgold’s boys soccer team needed a win or a tie to clinch a playoff berth in Section 4-AAA, the two sons of the team’s head coach rose to the occasion.

Jeremy and Brandon Perez, the sons of Rams’ head coach Frank Perez, combined for five goals as Ringgold rolled to a 6-0 win at Trinity Monday night.

The Rams are 7-3-2 in the section and 12-4-2 overall. Trinity fell to 4-8 in the section and 6-11 overall.

“We moved (Jeremy) up to striker this season because of the goals lost to graduation, and he has flourished in that situation,” Frank Perez said. “He gets more of an opportunity to dribble, as you can see, and he loves the game. Brandon is just a good, solid strong player. He’s very physical, and he’s only a sophomore. I have two different sons in the sense that one is finesse and one is like a bull in a china shop.”

Jeremy Perez, a senior forward, showed his finesse on the Rams’ second goal of the game, when he dribbled the ball past a Trinity defender and fired a shot that snuck below the cross bar to give Ringgold the 2-0 lead with two minutes remaining in the first half.

He added two more goals in the second half that included a shot from 20 yards out and a play where he found room behind the Hillers’ defense to beat junior goalkeeper Jonathan Iuketich.

Brandon Perez, a midfielder for the Rams, scored two goals from 25 yards out as he moved the ball up field and fired two shots above the keeper’s head.

The relationship between the brothers is like that of any older and younger sibling, arguing through good times and bad, helping each other improve during adversity and constantly attempting to one-up the other’s performance.

“I’ve got to listen to them bicker,” Jake Perez said jokingly. “This last play, Brandon dribbles to the right and his brother comes off, ‘Yeah, he had to dribble to the right like he always does.’ I’m very proud of both of them and what they have accomplished so far in the game, the players they have become and are becoming.”

Jeremy Perez is currently leading the WPIAL with 29 goals during the regular season, while Brandon is showing exceptional offensive skills as a midfielder.

“I love playing for my dad,” Jeremy Perez said. “He’s been my coach since I started playing when I was 3, and it’s a lot of pressure. Naturally, since we are his kids, he pushes us to be the best.”

Ringgold finished the regular season with eight straight section matches, including Section 4-AAA rivals Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon and Baldwin. The team’s 3-2 loss against Baldwin Oct. 3 made Monday’s section matchup a must-win situation.

Trinity did not go down without a fight. While the Hillers lost 10-1 in their last match against the Rams, their offense controlled time of possession during the first half and relied on the strong play of their goalkeeper.

Iuketich was impressive in the first half, stopping a penalty kick, as well as executing a diving save that kept the game within reach for the Hillers.

While the Hillers were conservative on offense in the first stanza, they opened the second half with cross-field passes; testing the Rams’ defense that was playing toward midfield. The move backfired when Brandon Perez found open field to the left of Iuketich.

Brandon fired a low shot past the keeper to give the Rams a 3-0 lead in their season finale.

“It’s a brother thing,” Jeremy said of the arguing. “We expect the best out of one another and if one is not doing well, we are going to get on the other about it.”

Trinity’s losing streak is now at six games and they will finish their season Tuesday night against Brooke, W.Va. at home. While the Hillers will miss the playoffs, Ringgold is set to start the playoffs on the road-a situation the team is accustomed to.

“This was a huge game for us,” Jake Perez said. “It’s huge when you go to places like Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park. (Road games) are huge games. We have a unique approach that we started a couple of years ago: it doesn’t matter who you are playing or when you are playing, we try to get ready for every opponent the same.”