Editor's UPDATE: The venue for Daphne vs Murphy has been changed since GCN printed Tuesday. Baker High School will serve as the host site for the third round as Murphy and Daphne are set to meet at 4 p.m.

DAPHNE, Alabama — “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, especially a good team,” said Daphne soccer coach Rick Andrew recounting what he reminded his Trojans of before and at halftime Tuesday. It would go down as another in a long line of epic playoff battles with Fairhope.

Nil-nil at the half, Daphne got a go-ahead goal in the 56th minute, then added another less than a minute later. The Pirates scored 1 in the final minute, but the Trojans held on for the 2-1 second-round 6A state playoff win at Jubilee Stadium. Daphne had shutout the Pirates 2-0 at Fairhope and 4-0 at DHS during conference play.

"I told them it’s hard to beat a team three times straight, but this time if they didn’t, our season was over,” Andrew said. “I think we were playing too timid, passive defense in the first half. I told them they better step it up in the 40 minutes left because I knew Fairhope would and they did.”

Both offenses got quality shots off in both halves but junior FHS keeper John Baxter rejected 10 while DHS senior keeper Will Carpenter vetoed nine.

Acting Fairhope coach Bob Keyser—in for re-deployed military officer Paul Stroud— said both keepers played at a high level.

“Frankly, I’ll be happy to see Will Carpenter graduate,” he said. “I think he was the difference in the match. He is a game-changer. Our kids played hard. I couldn't be more proud of them, they came out and played with heart. (Carpenter) cost us a lot of goals tonight. If he's not the best keeper in the state, then he is in the running for it."

Tyler Cox scored the first DHS goal with 25:06 left in regulation on a point-blank kick apparently trapped by Baxter, but the referee ruled the ball to not be in the keepers control and allowed the goal. Josh Gurvitz set up the play for an assist.

Austin Ahern then headed a throw in-pass from Jackson Stopa 53 second later for a 2-0 DHS lead. A flurry of quality shots at both ends followed, but injuries and yellow cards halted the flow. In the 79th minute Daphne flooded the Pirate half, but a through ball by Welles Richardson made it past the Trojan defenders headed for the DHS box. Nate Gillespie followed and despite a collision with Carpenter near the 18 got off an angled roller for the Pirate goal four seconds into the final minute.

"We came out in the second half a little more aggressive," said Andrew. "I felt like we finally got into the game then and had a lot more opportunities."

The Pirates finished ther season at 10-7-6. The Trojans (19-3-3) face the Murphy Panthers Saturday at Baker High at 4 p.m.