By Monica Holmes
Sports Editor 

For the undefeated First Flight men’s soccer team, winning would require beating two formidable foes: Mother Nature and Carrboro.

With the threat of freezing rain and high winds Tuesday night, the home game was moved up to 5 p.m. Despite temperatures around 50 degrees that morning, by the time the game started, it was just 42 degrees and winds were gusting up to 45 mph. However, neither stopped the undefeated Nighthawks from picking up a 3-1 win over Carrboro and securing the 2A Eastern Regional Championship. The win means the men’s soccer team will play for its first state title on Saturday in Raleigh.

“The weather was very distracting and it was hard to play against the wind,” sophomore Grayson Murphy said. “The cold was not as bad when you started to run around. And once we won, I completely forgot about (being) cold.”

For the Nighthawks, the road to the state championship game was played at home as the number one seed in the east. Hosting the first five rounds of the state playoffs was an advantage in many ways, head coach Juan Ramirez said.

“It has been a great help mentally,” Ramirez said. “Being at home gives the team a tremendous amount of positive energy.”

For Tuesday night’s matchup with Carrboro, the home field advantage included an unlikely ally. The wind.

The Nighthawks had the wind with them for the first half and used it to their advantage. While Carrboro struggled to move the ball to the east end of the stadium, First Flight kept attacking the west goal. With 13:15 to go in the first half, Seth Pugh scored the first goal of the game with an assist from Graham Smalley. Ricky Sanchez drilled the net with less than three minutes to go in the half and the Nighthawks took a 2-0 lead into the warm locker room.

“First of all, being in the locker room was a good break from the awful weather,” senior Noah Breit said. “It’s always nice to be leading at halftime, but we all knew we would have our hands full going against the wind for the next 40 minutes.”

When play resumed, the Nighthawks found the wind to be as big a challenge as Carrboro, as the Jaguars roared back, scoring six minutes into the second half.

With the score now 2-1, the large and noisy FFHS crowd chanted for the Nighthawks to score again. With 24:14 to go in the game, Graham Smalley responded, and the Nighthawks led 3-1.

“It was phenomenal to have such amazing fans,” Ramirez said. “I am so happy that the students and the community came out and supported us.”

Despite some missed shots on the offensive end of the field, the Nighthawks were able to “finish strong” defensively, living up to their motto. Keeper Valente Garcia made four saves to secure the win. For the final minutes of the game, Ramirez urged the fans to cheer louder and louder. When the horn finally sounded, the players lept into the air and across the field, embracing one another and celebrating the win.

“It honestly was an indescribable feeling. I know that I, personally, have been waiting for this opportunity my whole life,” said junior Seth Pugh, one of the team’s captains. “As a team, we have been hearing a lot lately that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and it is just now hitting me that this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I’ve never been more excited for a game in my entire life.”

While the Nighthawks enjoyed the thrill of victory, the Jaguars faced the agony of defeat and a long ride home in the freezing rain that began shortly after the game ended. It was a reversal of fortunes for the two teams that met last year in the third round of the state playoffs. Carrboro won that game 1-0 and advanced to the state championship game before losing to Cuthbertson.

“It feels amazing to have beaten the team that beat us last year. The revenge feels great,” junior Jay Cueva said. “It also feels good to be playing in the state championship.”

The Nighthawks, now 23-0 on the season, will face Salisbury in the 2A title game Saturday. Salisbury, the 2011 state champions, enters the game with a record of 26-1 and is the number one seed from the west. With 10 seniors on the team, the Hornets have outscored their opponents 28-2 in the playoffs.

Saturday’s championship game will be played on Dail Field at N.C. State University in Raleigh. Game time is 5 p.m.

Ramirez said he has the same expectations for his team on Saturday as he has had all season long.

“I want us to play well as a team and finish strong,” Ramirez said. “As well as accomplish our main goal of the season to win the state title.”

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