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Men Tigers move into second place in soccer
NickPrater
Nick Prater extends his arms as he celebrates the goal he made during Thursday's game. Teammates David Miller (10) and Chris Schuster (12) share in Praters joy. - photo by By Patty Leon / Coastal Courier
The Bradwell Tigers men's soccer squad solidified a second place standing in 3-AAAAA with a 2-0 victory over the Savannah Arts Academy Panthers Thursday evening.
The Panthers and the Tigers battled all the way through the first half with neither team able to set up a shot. Despite the humid weather and the gnats, the Tigers found their inner strength in the second half.
"Usually at half time we tend to wind down but today we stepped it up and they (Savannah Arts) were not ready for that," Tiger coach Greg Cooke.
The Panthers were unaware of the spark within each Tigers' heart. The Savannah cats were unaware of a promise BI players made earlier that day to the family and friends of Danielle Burrill, who died unexpectedly last weekend.
"Today, at the funeral, they said they would play the rest of the season with all their hearts and today they did," Cooke said. "The Burrill family has supported us since last season and the boys knew that. They stressed over it, but they came out here and did what they said they would do which was to take this game. They fulfilled that promise."
In the first few minutes of the second half, Nick Prater sent the ball toward Chris Schuster who out ran an opponent and took the shot for the first goal. Two plays later, Prater scored off a corner kick when he head butted the ball past the goalkeeper.
"There was no controversy in that game," Cooke said. "It was just a hard fought game and we came out on top. It was a great game. Savannah Arts is probably one of the better teams to come out of Savannah. They are always tough but it was tough and fair. We have a week during spring break and plan to use it to get ready for Jenkins. We don't take any teams for granted and we have to play them on the road. Afterward we have to look forward to the playoffs and hopefully do as well this year as we did last year."
While the men took the victory, the Lady Tigers took the field minus Allyson Burrill, Danielle's twin sister, as she spent the day with her family after the funeral.
"It's been a tough week for the boys and girls," Cooke said. "But for the girls today was about just playing for fun. Not because this doesn't count but they need some joy right now. Some of these girls have not smiled for a whole week and they are out here having fun and that means the world to me. The support for our soccer team and that family is the reason I love this community and I'm happy and proud to be a part of it."
Savannah Arts defeated the Lady Tigers 0-2.
The Tigers travel to Jenkins April 15. The girls play at 5 p.m. with the boys game immediately after.

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