For those who need a quick history lesson, New Orleans, Louisiana was once famous for its role as a pirate haven in the 19th century, hosting among the most famous of malevolent mariners, including the infamous Jean Lafitte. The Big Easy, as it’s affectionately known – which was built in a literal swamp – is also home to many Brown Pelicans, a seafaring giant that lounges just as lazily waiting for fish in the bayou as all those southern grannies sipping sweet tea on their front porches in the unbearable heat of the buried wetlands. On this blistering Saturday afternoon, it was no coincidence, then, that the hazy heat and humidity turned Katie Jackson Morrison ’92 field into the perfect kind of swampy battleground for the Taft Lady Rhinos’ matchup of the season against the Loomis Chaffee Pelicans. As the Rhinos prepared to take the field against 11 swamp birds, Coach Swift reminded the team that nobody falls behind for the next 80 minutes (for those about to correct Coach and say, “hey, isn’t that the opposite of Pirate Code?” We say that Lady Pirate Code is more community-oriented. Plus, she continued in the pre-game huddle with such inspirational quips as “commandeer their ships and take all their gold!”). The whistle blew and the teams were off, focusing their fight in the midfield like two warring Pirate ships engaged in heavy canon fire. At 17 minutes, the Pelicans were the first team to find some buried treasure in this game, and they found it on a lucky rebound off the crossbar, putting them on the scoreboard and ahead of Taft 1-0. Seconds later, they doubled down on their lead by sinking a shot into the upper 90 behind rookie 9th grade goalie Marianna Daniel off a free kick. Taft, with a few holes in their ship’s hull, was looking for a safe dock to make in berth in to recover, but not before Loomis could make one last far post drive with 2 minutes left in the first half. Down 3-0 with 40 minutes to go, Captain Swift brought the team in for a parlay, where she took out her map and reminded the team that X marks the spot in the back of the Loomis net. Much like in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the final fight is the one most worth watching: the last 40 minutes were marked by a remarkable change of fortune for the Taft Lady Rhinos, who put 13 shots on frame (compared to Loomis’ 4). Senior fullback Melina Kennedy perfected her own version of Ricky Bobby’s shake-and-bake technique from “Talladega Nights” as she, without fail, fooled every attacker into running right past her as she slammed on the brakes, pulled the ball back, and switched the field of play with all the composure of Elizabeth Swann walking the plank of the Black Pearl, certain she could outsmart her opponents by finding refuge elsewhere. 18 minutes into the second half, the Pelicans raided the treasure chest one more time, scoring their fourth and final goal of the game. Captain Swift’s post-game speech lauded the girls for never once raising the white flag. They gave this fight everything they had, and now get to spend Sunday resting in Tortuga — making good decisions — before boarding the boat on Monday to take on Greenwich Academy. Final score: 0-4.