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4/30/10
Pirates' Win Over Murphy =
Three Straight Final Four Appearances
The
Varsity Boys booked a return trip to the final four in Huntsville with a
decisive 4-1 win over Murphy on Saturday night at Baker Stadium. The Pirates
struck early with Patrick Marsh beating a defender in the left corner
and serving a cross that
Mike Keyser one-timed home for a 1-0 lead just 2:45 into the first half.
Murphy got an equalizer 5 minutes later with a free kick from 20 yards out
into the right corner. The remainder of the first half was very direct, with
lots of attempts over the top, but few opportunities that materialized.
 In the
second half, the tempo changed with the Pirates moving to more possession,
and spreading out the Murphy defense. Chad Dolan found Marsh on the
left wing who made a great run past the Murphy defender. His crossing
service was right on Riley Tart's foot, who
drove home the 2-1 lead with 5 minutes gone in the second half. The Pirates
continued to hold the advantage in possession and saw multiple free kick
opportunities in the attacking half. With about 15 minutes gone, Nacho Landa hit Ben
Studstill with a free kick that Studstill headed home for the 3-1 lead.
 Tart was at it again 10 minutes later, collecting a service from Brandon
Landau on a run to the right, and delivering a ball back to the left
side of the net and out of the reach of the charging keeper. The win puts
the Pirates at 18-5-2 on the season and takes them to the final four for the
third consecutive year. They will meet Hoover in the semi-finals on Friday
at 7 PM at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, with the finals scheduled for 1 PM
on Saturday.
4/27/10 Boys Win Round One
2-1 Over Baker
The
Varsity Boys move on to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs with a 2-1
win over Baker on Tuesday night at Volanta. Finishing was a challenge for
the Pirates early on, with eight balls in the box and no one able to get on
the end of one. With just over 34 minutes gone in the half, Brandon
Landau served a nice ball from the right side to Welles Richardson
at the top of the 18. Richardson turned, got a touch
past the last defender and beat the diving keeper to the ball for the final
touch and a 1-0 halftime lead.
The
Pirates went right to the attack in the second half and had a couple of
opportunities early. Following a clear by Baker, Patrick Marsh made a
run up the left side, then touched the ball through to Richardson just
before getting run down by a defender. Richardson drove left of the goal and
laid a service on the ground through to the back side of the six. Michael
Keyser was making a run in on the right side and one-timed the finish
for a 2-0 lead less than 5 minutes in. Baker made it interesting with a goal
with 20 minutes remaining, taking a 35 yard shot that was deflected off the
cross-bar and then put back by a charging striker.
The win
puts the Pirates at 17-5-2 on the season and will take them to Baker High
School on Saturday night to face Murphy in the state quarterfinals. Game
time is set for 7:30 PM.
4/20/10 Boys Are 6A Section 2
Champs Five Years Running
The
Varsity Boys are Section 2 champions for the fifth consecutive year,
finishing the regular season with a 10-2 section mark after an exciting 1-0
win over McGill Toolen on Tuesday night. In one of the most physical games
of the season, the Pirates outmuscled the Yellow Jackets and absorbed every
blow without exposing their net. Welles Richardson provided all the
scoring necessary with a run up the left wing and a nice shot delivered to
the right side of the net. His score came with about 5 minutes remaining in
the first half.
In the second half,
McGill pressed the attack and was nearly caught too high on a couple of
occasions, but Fairhope couldn't get that last touch for another score. The
win makes Fairhope the host for the first round of the 6A playoffs against
Baker next Tuesday. The Pirates finish the regular season with a 16-5-2
record.
4/9/10 Boys Clinch Playoff
Berth With 3-1 Win Over Robertsdale
The Varsity boys wrapped up a playoff
berth while improving to 9-2 in Section play with a 3-1 victory over
Robertsdale on Friday night. Aggressive play was the standard for the night,
with numerous hard tackles and several yellow cards shared by the teams. The
Pirates opened the scoring with Michael Keyser receiving an outlet
pass on the right wing and finding Welles Richardson on a run to the
Bear back line. Richardson collected the service, took a couple touches and
chipped the keeper who had come off his line to challenge the unopposed run.
Thirty seconds later, the Pirates found themselves with a throw-in from the
right side deep in Robertsdale territory. Brandon Landau's throw
found Ben Studstill in front of the net for the header and a 2-0
advantage 15:20 into the match. Robertsdale responded with a throw-in 5
minutes later that was deflected just enough to beat Forrest Huhn and
bring the Bears to within 1.
The
second half opened with Parker Williams making a great run and
delivering a well placed shot to the left side that the keeper got just
enough of to deflect it wide of the net. The battle for possession continued
throughout the second half, with the Pirate defense turning away numerous
set pieces from deep in their end. With time winding down and the Bears
pushed forward, Fairhope got a clear of a shot that Richardson collected 15
yards short of midfield. Richardson's charge up the field had the Bear
keeper backpedaling hard and unable to stop the well-placed shot into the
left side of the net.
The 3-1
margin puts the Pirates 13-4-2 overall and in first place in Section 2.
McGill follows at 7-3 with games against Robertsdale on Monday following
Spring Break, and Fairhope on Tuesday; Foley stands at 8-3 with a match
remaining against Daphne, and Robertsdale is at 7-4 with the McGill game
left.
3/31/10 Pirates Celebrate Senior Night
With Bayside
Senior Night on Wednesday provided a
very nice tribute to our Senior players, and some competitive but ugly
soccer. The course of the evening saw few times when either Fairhope or
Bayside could string together more than one or two passes. On those few
occasions when 5 or 6 passes were strung together, good opportunities
appeared, but Forrest Huhn and the Bayside keeper both managed to
keep the sheet clean. The game appeared to swing on a single play in the
final 30 seconds.
The
Pirates drove the ball up the field from the back line, and fed a ground
ball to the feet of Jacob Ard. Ard pushed the ball ahead inside the
18 and was taken down hard by a closing defender. The center ref immediately
signaled for a penalty kick with 13.6 seconds showing on the clock.
The AR indicated Ard off-side
The
ensuing free kick burned up the final few seconds, and Bayside and Fairhope
drew 0-0. The Pirates return to action next Tuesday at Daphne, playing for
first place in 6A Section 2.
3/26/10
Patrick Marsh's Assists Lead Pirates Over Robertsdale
The Varsity Boys regained control of
their playoff opportunity with the combination of a 2-0 win over Robertsdale
and a 4-1 loss by Foley on Friday night. Patrick Marsh paced the
Pirates with a pair of assists, the first a nice feed to Jacob Ard
cutting through a seam in Robertsdale's back line. Ard's clean strike put
Fairhope up 1-0 with 31:35 gone in the first half.
Marsh
also served a free kick from about 40 yards out with 7 minutes left in the
game that just cleared the back line. Chad Dolan, on a run from the
right side, headed the ball past the charging Bear keeper for the 2-0
margin. Robertsdale saw one very good opportunity with a ball loose at the
six midway through the second half, but the strike was high over the
crossbar. Forrest Huhn collected everything else to preserve the
shutout.
The
Pirates now stand at 11-3-1 overall and 7-2 in Section 2. They hold
tie-breaker advantages over Foley and Daphne, who each have 2 losses as
well. Next up is UMS Wright at Volanta on Saturday at noon. Fans are asked
to park on the Rec Center side of the stadium due to opening day youth
baseball activities.
3/23/10 Seibt Early Hat-Trick
Leads Lady Pirates Past BCHS
With only three subs
on the bench, the Fairhope Pirates defeated the Baldwin County HS Tigers
Tuesday night in Bay Minette. With starters Julia Martin and Devan
Comalander out with illness, Coach Morisani juggled the line up and
elevated Rayelle Nokovich and Luci Crutcher into starting
roles.
Senior Alli
Griffin started the shooting spree in the second minute of the match
with a hard shot saved by the BCHS keeper. During the first five minutes of
the match, the Pirates got off five shots, including one corner kick that
was cleared by the Tigers. Finally, in the eighth minute, Lainie Doyle
sent a high cross from her left side to the far post. Caroline Seibt
was on the post to take the ball out of the air and volley it into the
back of the net. A couple of minutes later, Seibt sent a ball through to
Griffin who made the score 2-0. In the 12th minute, Seibt found a loose ball
and redirected it back into the far side netting. After a hand-ball penalty
on BCHS, Coach Morisani called on Seibt to attempt the PK. With 21:34 left
in the first half, she coolly drove the ball low and to the left of the
keeper and into the goal. Less than a minute later, Senior Danielle Manci
joined in with her first goal of the night, followed by Griffin a minute
later. In the 26th minute of the match, Doyle connected with Manci to make
the score 7-0, and it remained that way through the end of the first half.
In the second half
of the match, the Pirates relaxed a bit and tried to play more of a
possession game. Coach Morisani also used the time to try some girls in
different positions. Crutcher moved from midfield to striker while Kiley
Gratkowski spent time at both outside midfield positions. Midfielder
Anne Baumhower created four or five real scoring chances on free or
corner kicks, but the Pirates couldn't quite put the final touch on the
ball. Kyndall Haywood came very close in the 76th minute of the match
by heading Baumhower's free kick back at goal but the BCHS keeper made a
nice save. Defenders Greer Pearson, Nokovich, Ryley Rockwell,
Baumhower and Amber Mauer controlled the space in front of the Pirate
goal allowing the Tigers very few scoring chances. Megan Tarr and
Morgan Grace combined in goal to record another clean sheet for the
Pirates.
3/23/10 Parker Williams Hat-Trick Topples BCHS
The
Fairhope Varsity Boys notched another Section win with a 9-0 victory over
Baldwin County on Tuesday night in Bay Minette. Parker Williams paced
the Pirates offensively, collecting a natural hat trick in the second half,
and adding an assist in the first half. Chad Dolan got
Fairhope started, finishing a touch from Isaac Landa on a Pat
Marsh corner kick. Two minutes later, Williams delivered a cross to
Riley Tart, who drove a low shot to the left side for the 2-0 lead.
Jonathan Smith followed up with 26 minutes elapsed, making a great run
up the left side and delivering a cross for the one-timer by Welles
Richardson. The 3-0 lead held up through the halftime break.
Adjustments by the Pirates at the half found an offensive spark, starting
with Marsh delivering another cross, this time to Williams for another
one-timer with just 1:30 elapsed in the second half. Fifteen minutes later
Marsh made the same delivery, this time to Mike Keyser on the back
post, who flicked on to Williams for a sliding finish right at the near
post. Right off the restart, Fairhope intercepted a Tiger pass and Keyser
got in for a run on the right, sidestepped a defender and finding Williams
for a one-timer just 25 seconds after the last score. Brandon Landau
followed with a deft touch through to Richardson, who beat the keeper
one-on-one for the 7-0 lead. With 33 minutes elapsed, Patrick Machogu
got free on the Baldwin County back line and put away the 8th goal. Jacob
Ard rounded out the scoring with a great effort to pick the ball off a
defender and then drive home a low ball to the left side to round out the
scoring. The Pirates outshot BCHS 13-1, as Forrest Huhn and Eddie
Adams combined in goal for the shutout. The Pirates are now 6-2 in
Section 2 and 10-3-1 overall. They face Robertsdale on Friday at Volanta.
3/19/10
Pirates Beat Daphne 2-1
The Fairhope Varsity Boys picked up a
big Section 2 win Friday night at Volanta Stadium. The win moves the Pirates
to 5-2 in the Section, and 9-3-1 overall. The teams battled scoreless
through the first half, a dichotomy of long ball versus possession. Neither
team could find the net, though Fairhope had three good chances, with one
going over the crossbar and two being collected by the Daphne keeper.
The
Pirates broke through early in the second half with Brandon Landau
heading in a throw-in from Bobby Douglass on the left touchline with
36:55 showing on the clock. Daphne stepped up the pressure, and had numerous
free kicks deep in Fairhope territory. Finally, after over 20 minutes of
pressure, Daphne got a kick from just outside the 18. The perfectly placed
kick cleared the wall by inches and grazed the right post just out of
Forrest Huhn's reach to knot the game 1-1. Fairhope responded with
pressure of their own. Douglass collected a ball on the left side and sent
Jonathan Smith on a run up the left side. Smith turned a cross
through the box where Mike Keyser punched it in from the edge of the
6 with 7:17 showing on the clock. Fairhope held off Daphne to the final
whistle to take the 2-1 victory. Next up for the Pirates is Baldwin County
High School on Tuesday in Bay Minette.
3/16/10
Boys Roll Satsuma 8-0
The Varsity Boys improved to 8-3-1
overall and 4-2-0 in Section 2 with an 8-0 win over Satsuma on Tuesday night
at Volanta Stadium. The Pirates struck early with Ben Studstill
feeding Michael Keyser for a run into the right corner. Keyser
crossed to Parker Williams for a one-timer that gave Fairhope the
lead 1:01 into the game. Two minutes later Keyser was back at it, receiving
a pass from Brandon Landau, driving to the near post while striking
far post for the 2-0 lead. The Pirates continued to press the attack, but
would wait until 14:49 before Chad Dolan found Jacob Ard
running through a seam in the Satsuma back line. Ard collected the pass,
took a couple touches and beat the keeper for a 3-0 margin.
Ten minutes later, Jonathan Smith
hit an in-swinging corner that Studstill headed home. One minute later
Landau collected an attempted clear and drove a low shot past the diving
keeper to put the Pirates ahead 5-0. With 32 minutes gone in the first half,
Patrick Marsh claimed an assist with a great run up the right side.
He turned back on a pursuing defender, sidestepped a second defender and
delivered a pass right on the foot of Williams for the 6-0 lead that would
stand to halftime.
The
Pirates tallied twice more after the break. Patrick Machogu mis-hit a
ball that the keeper charged. Machogu collected the ball, turned to shield
it, and then back-heeled it into the empty net. Will Allen got the
final goal with a well-struck penalty kick following a foul in the Satsuma
box. Forrest Huhn and Grant Coley combined in goal for the
shutout. Next up is Daphne at Volanta Stadium on Friday evening.
3/11/10 Fairhope Boys Raid the Fort
Fairhope defeated
Spanish Fort 3-0 on Saturday in a match played under sunny skies at Volanta
Stadium. Bobby Douglass registered a strike in the first half off of
a Parker Williams assist to put the Pirates up 1-0. Eddie Adams
started the match in goal, but was relieved by Forrest Huhn about
20 minutes in after a 3-man collision in front of the goal. Moments later
Huhn was tackled by a charging Spanish Fort player bringing out a red card
and putting Fairhope a man up for the balance of the match.
The 1-0 scoreline
held through halftime, but early in the second half, Douglass made a great
run up the right wing and served the ball to a wide open Chad Dolan,
who put away the 2-0 tally. About 15 minutes later, Mike Keyser found
Ben Studstill off a scramble in the box, and Studstill put away the
final goal of the match. Huhn held the Toros scoreless as Fairhope moved to
7-3-1 on the season. Next up is Satsuma on Tuesday at Volanta Stadium.
3/10/10 The Focus of Eleven Angry Men
The
Fairhope Pirates came out focused and on fire Friday night in a Section 2
rematch with Foley. Foley had beaten Fairhope 2-0 a week before in front of
a raucous crowd at the highway 98 complex in Foley. With their season on
the line, the Pirates play reflected their attitude and focus. After almost
20 minutes of scoreless soccer, Fairhope got on the board first with
Jacob Ard making a run down the right side and putting a ball just over
the hands of the Foley keeper at the near post for a 1-0 Fairhope lead.
Chad Dolan followed a few minutes later by putting away a penalty kick
for a handling foul by a Foley defender inside the box.
Parker Williams put the Pirates up 3-0, one timing a cross from
Welles Richardson, after Richardson got penetration to the right of the
Foley goal. Patrick Marsh then made a deep run to the right corner,
pulled the ball back past the charging defender and drove a cross through to
the far post. Richardson jumped on the cross, driving it far post and
clipping a Foley defender on the way into the net. Jonathan Smith
gathered in another cross from Marsh and drove it through the box,
deflecting off Williams into the right corner to put Fairhope up 5-0.
Foley changed
keepers at this point, but the Pirate attack continued. A long service into
the Foley goal mouth was fended out by the defense, but Richardson chested
down the clear, stepped by a defender and struck a volley just inside the
left post to put the Pirate advantage at 6-0. With time winding down in the
half, Richardson was taken down just across the midfield line giving
Fairhope a direct kick. Isaac Landa drove the free kick to the far
post where Smith fed it inside to a charging Bobby Douglass, who put
it away for a 7-0 halftime advantage for Fairhope.
Dolan got on the
board again about 15 minutes into the second half following a scramble in
front of the goal, punching it in the right side under the diving Foley
keeper. Fairhope closed out the scoring with Patrick Machogu feeding
Jac Andrade on a run up the right side. Andrade fed a cross past the
charging keeper to a wide open Lans Stallings, who put away the
strike for the 9-0 final tally. Forrest Huhn oversaw the shutout in
goal for the Pirates, making a couple of nice saves on set pieces just
outside the 18. The Pirates improved to 3-2 in Section 2 play, and 6-3-1 on
the season before Saturday’s matchup with Spanish Fort.
2/26/10 and 2/27/10
The
Fairhope boys made a deep run in the Island Cup tournament, only to come up
short in the semi-finals. The Pirates opened with a 3 PM match against
number 3 ranked Grissom High School on Friday. A fairly even match saw
attacks by each side, but not a lot of quality opportunities. Fairhope had
open men in the box on 3 occasions, but couldn’t seem to make the
connection. Grissom had one good look in the first half, but the attacker
launched his shot high over the crossbar and a charging Ben Studstill.
With seven minutes remaining in the match, the Pirates got numbers in the
box. Parker Williams found Michael Keyser open on the right
side, and Keyser drove home the game winner. Eddie Adams was perfect
in goal for the Pirates with the 1-0 shutout.
Friday night at 7:30
PM the Pirates returned to the pitch to face Gadsden City. Fairhope struck
early after drawing a free kick just outside the 18. Brandon Landau
served Chad Dolan for a low driven ball that found the left side of
the net open. Some very direct play ensued for the balance of the half, and
while not yielding any opportunities for Gadsden, created no offensive
opportunities for the Pirates. The second half opened with some
substitutions and some better settled play. With just under 10 minutes
remaining, Jonathan Smith served a corner kick that Tyler
Martenstein finished with a diving header for the 2-0 lead. Eddie
Adams held the shutout for 60 minutes before turning the duties over to
Forrest Huhn, who kept the clean sheet.
The victory put the
Pirates in the semi-finals against Edmund North of Oklahoma in a rematch
from last year’s tournament. Edmund struck first, just four minutes into the
game with a well developed attach that found and exploited a seam in the
Fairhope back line. Edmund continued to control the tempo for the game for
much of the first half. Late in the half, the Pirates drew an indirect free
kick about 25 yards out. Landau again found Dolan for the equalizer, and the
teams headed into the half tied 1-1. Edmund opened with a great opportunity.
A driven ball deflected off keeper Eddie Adams, hit the right post,
rebounded back off the left post and came to rest just off the goal line.
Ian Dingwall charged back and cleared the ball off the line to preserve
the score line.
Several
opportunities in each direction were turned away by strong defensive play,
and the game finished knotted at 1. Two 5-minute overtimes were played
scoreless, bringing the teams to Kicks From The Mark. Both keepers were
outstanding in goal, but Edmund managed to edge the Pirates 2-1 in the
shootout, and advanced to the finals. The Pirates now stand at 4-2-1 on the
season, and will return to action on Friday at Foley.
2/23/10 Pirates Rout Tigers
6-0
The
Fairhope Boys Soccer Team improved to 2-1-1 with a 6-0 win over Baldwin
County High School on Tuesday night at Majors Field in Fairhope. Patrick
Marsh opened the scoring with a header off a Spencer Baumhower
throw-in 30 minutes into the game.
Parker Williams got the Pirates back on the board less than two minutes
into the second half off an assist from Michael Keyser. A minute
later Bobby Douglass found Jacob Ard up the right side. A shot
by Ard deflected off a Tiger defender and inside the near post to put the
Pirates up 3-0. In the 61st minute Keyser touched a ball over from the right
post to Baumhower, who netted Fairhope’s 4th goal of the night.
Seven
minutes later Patrick Machogu made a great run on the right side and
laid off a pass to Jonathan Smith on the left post, who drilled home
the 5th goal. Machogu was on the receiving end of a Welles Richardson
pass just 4 minutes later for the Pirates final tally. Eddie Adams
and Forrest Huhn combined in net for the shut-out. The boys face
Grissom on Friday in Orange Beach at 3 PM in the first round of the
Island Cup.
2/9/10 Boys Freeze St. Paul's
3-2
The Varsity Boys notched their first win
of the season with a 3-2 victory over St Paul's on a cold, wet,
windy night in Mobile. Despite temperatures in the 30s, and a cold
north wind blowing throughout, the Pirates came out hot. Five
minutes in Bobby Douglass drove home the opening score off a
corner kick.
The Pirates
continued to pressure the Saints, but were unable to find the back of the
net and headed to halftime with a 1-0 lead. The pressure continued in the
second half, but nearly 20 minutes passed before the boys tallied again.
Ian Dingwall hit a free kick from near mid field which Spencer
Baumhower deflected left to Patrick Marsh at the top corner of
the 18. Marsh delivered a perfect cross to the right side that Chad Dolan
touched by the Saints defender and drilled home for a 2-0 lead.
Jacob Ard
rounded out the Pirate scoring, collecting a cleared ball on the right side,
rainbowing it over the defender, then beating the keeper far post for the
3-0 lead. Coach Stroud substituted freely and the boys held their lead until
Jac Andrade was tripped while chasing a through-ball. That foul
wasn't called, but a foul was called on the ensuing tackle giving St Paul's
a penalty kick, and closing the score to 3-1.
The Saints continued
their pressure, and with just under 4 minutes to play headed in a direct
kick to close the score to 3-2. The starters returned to the field and
immediately put the pressure back on St Paul's until the final whistle. The
boys are 1-0-1 and back in action against McGill next week.
2/8/10 Boys Tie Davidson in
Season Opener
The Varsity Boys opened their 2010 season with a
2-2 draw against a physical Davidson squad. The Pirates opened the game
relatively flat, and was on the receiving end of several hard tackles,
including one that took out Gibbs Pearson and puts him on the shelf for
about 3 weeks. Opportunity showed several times through the first half, but
at least four times the Pirates failed to convert on chances inside the box.
The lethargy continued to the start of
the second half as Davidson got inside position on a free kick and
headed home a 1-0 lead just 4 minutes into the second half. Ten
minutes later another free kick from 30 yards out found the back of
the net, and the Pirates had a 2-0 deficit. Finally, with about 15
minutes to play, Fairhope started to pick up the pace. Isaac
Landa out hustled Davidson to win a ball on the back right and
fed Mike Keyser up the right wing. Keyser turned the defender
and whipped a cross to the far side of the arc where Brandon
Landau ripped a shot, only to be knocked down by the arm of a
Davidson defender. Chad Dolan drilled home the ensuing
penalty kick to close the gap to 2-1.
The Pirates continued to turn up the pressure
and saw multiple opportunities, only to be denied by the Davidson back line.
With about 1:20 to play, a long throw-in by Landau was rebounded about the
Davidson box before Patrick Marsh connected on a waist-high volley
that found the back side of the net with just 1:08 showing on the clock. The
resulting 2-2 final starts the season at 0-0-1 for the third year in a row.
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