After four overtime sessions and several rounds of penalty kicks, the men's varsity soccer team defeated Millbrook High School in an exhausting and exhilarating 4-2 victory on Wed., Nov. 4, thereby advancing to the second round of the state playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
    A first-half goal scored by senior Sam Dunderdale put the Pirates ahead early, but Millbrook fought back in the second-half to tie the game at 1-1 at the end of regulation. The teams endured two 10-minute overtimes and an additional pair of 5-minute sudden death periods with no score on either end, at which point the teams conducted a five-round shootout.
    Seniors Stephen Freeman and Dennis Hodge and junior Zabarle Kollie successfully converted penalty kick attempts for the Pirates. Millbrook made its first attempt, but missed its second attempt over the goal. Two saves by junior goalkeeper Ivan Ramirez clenched the victory for the Pirates.

"We practiced PK's all of this week at practice, so it was kind of nice. I happened to guess which way the [Millbrook] players were kicking," Ramirez said. "The win was pretty surreal."
    Ramirez, in his first major starting game of the season, admits that he felt increasingly pressured to make saves throughout the game.
    "I was having trouble holding on to some driven shots, but I was able to recover. I could have dealt better with [Millbrook's] goal. I had poor positioning when the shot was taken," Ramirez said.
    Despite troubles, Ramirez' saves combined with the team's efforts helped secure the win. "It was pretty nerve-wracking. But everyone [on the team] was backing me up, they had confidence in me," Ramirez said.
    The 15-3-1 Pirates will host Apex High School on Sat., Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. for the second round of the playoffs.
By Erin Moore