For all the bouquets, baskets of snacks and brotherhood that decorated Annapolis boys soccer on senior night as a dozen Panthers seniors walked through a red-white-and-blue balloon archway with parents and family, the night presented one obstacle they knew they’d have to overcome.

Annapolis deployed 11 seniors as starters, many out of position, to face Meade on Tuesday. While the Panthers had spent the last few days training for it, the raw edges of the new formation were more than visible.

Meade, which struggled in finding an offensive identity all fall, scored in the first three minutes – a punchy shot off a free kick. Everything the hosts tried in return splattered on the Mustangs back line like raindrops on asphalt; nothing got to keeper Dillon Ammah.

At least, not yet.

Senior Alejandro Peña couldn’t stomach giving up a loss on his senior night. When the Panthers huddled at halftime, he spoke up.

“The first half wasn’t satisfying. We had to pick it up. We had to give it everything for our senior night,” Peña said. “I had to give a motivational speech to pick up the spirits because they were down in their guts. But after that second half? Nothing to worry about.”

Then, a minute into the second half, Peña plucked the ball off the left side and carved through Meade’s defenses to face his old club teammate and friend, Ammah, down.

“Had to score two on him,” Peña said with a sheepish smile.

The Panthers might’ve broke the game open if not for Ammah. The hosts barricaded play in their own attacking third, but for 15 minutes, nothing seemed to slip past the keeper, arguably one of the best in the county.

Sophomore Lester Estrada, responsible for a hefty portion of Annapolis’ game-winners this season already, sprang before Ammah, bicycle kicking what could’ve been the go-ahead goal to the corner, had the Meade keeper not flung his body sideways at the last second. Backward kicks, corners aimed at goal, direct shots – Ammah absorbed them all. Players gripped their heads in frustration. The bench grew more lively with every disappointed groan. Every shot, Peña said, “was a positive one.”

But one player wanted his senior night goal badly enough.

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Jorge Tejada had barely landed in his goal-line spot when Peña’s feed arrived. The forward scored the go-ahead goal with 15 minutes left.

An 20-yard free kick by Meade senior Erick Perla went answered immediately. Within 15 seconds, Peña earned his own free kick and banged his game-winner in the corner. He ran toward the bleachers, where an entourage of his parents, aunt and more screamed, spreading his arms wide like a professional footballer.

“They just don’t want to lose,” Panthers coach Jacob Shinn said. “We’ve had to battle back a lot this year. We have a tendency to go down early; saw that tonight. But they do battle back.”

Annapolis needs every win it can muster this close to playoffs. Even at 7-3, it’s standing behind four other teams – Leonardtown, Crofton, Bowie and Broadneck – in Class 4A East Region II, teams with either a zero or a one in the loss column.

“Last year, we had an upset against Bowie and we’re trying to repeat that,” Peña said. “We can’t let it go down slow. We gotta pick up the pace – every goal has to be in under 10 minutes.”

Have a sports tip? Contact Katherine Fominykh at kfominykh@baltsun.com or DM @capgazsports on Instagram.

Annapolis' Alejandro Pena scored twice in Tuesday's win over Meade. (Katherine Fominykh/Staff)