Napoleon, MI. – On a beautiful sunny evening at Pirates Stadium, with planes flying over and parachuting going on nearby, the Pirates played host to the Grass Lake Warriors. The Warriors started the game with the ball and went on the attack early. For the first 8 minutes of the first half, the Warriors had control in the Pirates’ zone. But the Pirates defense played tough, and Pirates goalkeeper Alessia Romagnuolo came up big not letting anything get by her.
The tough back-and-forth play between the two teams continued throughout the first half, with the game remaining scoreless. The Warriors struck first in the second half, about 10 minutes in. They scored again off a corner kick with just a little over 14 minutes left, giving them a 2-0 lead. But the Pirates didn’t give up.
The Pirates kept fighting as hard as they could. The Warriors fans were excited and cheering at the 7-minute mark, thinking they scored again, but it was determined that Pirate goalkeeper Romagnuolo came up with the huge save! The Pirates were as determined as ever to get on the board and get a victory and kept playing hard as they could.
With about a minute left in the game, it was Meghan Smith making a great play and getting the ball to freshman Maris Stark on the left side of the field. Stark was double-teamed by Warrior defenders but was able to get away from them with the ball, leaving one flat on the ground, and advanced the ball towards the goal. Another Warrior defender appeared, as well as the goalkeeper, but she blasted the ball above the goalkeeper’s head, scoring for her Pirates and cutting the lead in half.
The Pirates kept trying, but time ran out, giving them a tough loss. Romagnuolo was outstanding in goal making 11 saves, and the Pirate defense did a very good job despite feeling pressure throughout the game. The Pirates, 4-8-1, will hit the road Monday, heading out to Jonesville for a 5:30 game.
