All season long, the Rockport High boys soccer team battled hard in the ever-competitive Cape Ann League.
The squad had a number of competitive setbacks, and despite their sub-.500 record, the Vikings (5-10-3) were rewarded for their difficult schedule by securing a spot in the Division 5 state tournament as the No. 15 seed.
That meant a first-round bye and home clash to open up the playoffs — and head coach Lou Savlen’s group proved their ranking was no fluke by securing a thrilling 1-0 win over New Mission on Wednesday night in penalty kicks.
The two non-conference foes went toe-to-toe all evening, and a pair of overtime periods weren’t enough to decide a victor. That forced a winner-take-all PK shootout, where Liam Dewan, Braydon Wall and Quinten Savlen all found the back of the net to seal the deal.
With Rockport starting goalkeeper Zakarya Bouafi suffering an unfortunate broken ankle in the contest, Jack Trupiano stepped in and made two huge saves in the PKs to help secure the win.
“He was lights out, made some great saves,” coach Savlen said of Trupiano in net. “He was the player of the game, no doubt about it.
Rockport now advances to take on the winner of Wednesday’s late game between top-seeded Sutton and No. 31 Douglas in the Sweet 16.
“It’s really tough to have our star goalkeeper get knocked out of the game like that; that’s the one guy that’s irreplaceable,” added Savlen. “But Trupiano stepped up, the team played great in a back and forth game, and we live to see another day.”