Semifinal Shootout
On May 8, in Huntsville, Alabama, Varsity soccer competed in the semifinals against Montgomery Academy. The Pirates lost with a score of 8-7, ending their 2025 season.
“This season demanded my resilience as a player, especially through our team’s injuries and losses going into the playoffs. We learned to hate losing and that mindset is what allowed us to make that final push to state,” said Darwin Hickey, junior striker.
Although the Pirates did not advance to the finals, their season has carried many wins including their second year to advance to the final four and the first time in eight years to win the area championship. Head coach Paul Stroud sees the ability to get to semifinals as a win given the injuries the Pirates endured this season.
“Our team struggled to maintain health since we lost a valuable player the first day of practice and ended the season missing five injured and important players,” Stroud said. “It really shows the depth of our team given the obstacles with health we have overcome and the ability to get to semifinals.”
Montgomery Academy led the score 2-1 through the entirety of the game until Fairhope tied up the score in the last thirty minutes of the second half. Both teams delivered strong defense and stamina pushing a close game.
“The semifinal game challenged our team in many different ways. We were three games under and heading to state with two starters injured. As a team we’ve learned that it’s not how you start but how you finish,” said Max Reger, junior striker.
The semifinal game remained a tie of 2-2 and went into a thirty minute overtime period with no goals scored by either team. This resulted in a penalty shootout with Montgomery Academy scoring the winning eighth shot goal.
“As a team we have had a lot of good competition and fought through tough games that challenge us as players. We have learned that anything can happen and you have to give 100% into every game to expect to win,” said Jojo Joines, junior center back.
Despite their loss the Pirates continue to celebrate their success as area champions and end their season with a 10-7 standing.
