By Kyle LoJacono
Kameryn Kailimai was in first grade the last time the Land O’ Lakes girls soccer team won a playoff game.
The sophomore forward went a long way to ending that drought when she scored her 12th goal of the season in the 75th minute of the Class 3A regional quarterfinals Jan. 23 to lift the Gators (18-5-4) to a 2-1 home win over Hudson.
“It was the first shot she really got a piece of,” said 26-year Land O’ Lakes coach Vicky King of Kailimai’s shot. “Someone on the bench said if Kameryn gets a shot on goal she’s going to put the keeper in the back of the net.”
The game-winning tally was set up by a through ball up the middle from senior forward Holly Nasello.
“It was all adrenaline,” Holly said. “When I saw the ball in the air I just tried to flick it forward to where someone hopefully was. It was a great run. A great finish. Just excellent.”
Kailimai said she knew she couldn’t waste the opportunity.
“When I saw that ball coming I just thought I have to get this in the back of the net,” Kailimai said. “Don’t kick it to the goalie’s hands, don’t hit it over. Just put it in the back of the net.”
The Gators and Cobras (15-7-2) played to a 0-0 first-half tie, but Land O’ Lakes had the clear advantage in scoring chances.
“We tried to cool off and not be so nervous, but at halftime we also talked about finishing,” Holly said. “That’s how you win the game is finishing. Can’t win unless you score.”
Hudson opened up the scoring in the 57th minute off a long shot that just snuck over the head of senior goalkeeper Arie Bailey, but the prospects of coming back didn’t faze Land O’ Lakes.
“They’re pretty even keel,” King said. “We’ve been down before and come back. That was a long shot, good goal. Arie had a piece of it, and it hit the back of the cross bar. We just worked and worked. We were more aggressive in the box in the second half. We had more chances in the first half, but kind of played the ball right at the keeper instead of making the keeper work.”
Junior forward/midfielder Raquel Villareal answered for the Gators two minutes later by heading in a corner kick taken by freshman defender Lacy Nasello, Holly’s sister.
“Raquel, we call her a ball hunter,” King said. “She’s got good speed. She moved in from Texas this year, and she’s really added something to the team. She’s got some goals in crucial situations. She’ll go after everything.”
Villareal said the mood change after tying the contest.
“I had a really good feeling we could do it when I saw it go in,” Villareal said. “Lacy took a great corner kick, I got my head on it, and I felt the energy level pick up.”
Land O’ Lakes still needed to kill more than five minutes after Kailimai’s goal. Junior midfielder Brooke Silvest said she told the players to stay focused.
“We’re trying to finish, so I was trying to keep them calm,” Silvest said. “We have a lot of freshmen, so I told them if we just control the ball we’re going to win this.”
The Gators could not make it two postseason wins in a row, falling 3-0 at Mitchell in the regional semifinals Jan. 26.
“This team has worked its butt off all season,” Holly said. “We had a lot of young players come in this year, and as the captain I couldn’t have asked for more from them. The whole team always works as hard as it can from start to finish at practice and in games. Heart, soul, we leave everything out there on the field.”
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
