By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer

It was another 80 minutes of gut-wrenching, heart-in-their-throats soccer between Harmony and Eustis on Tuesday.

And, like two other times this year, it was a Longhorns win.

Coach Stephanie Jones’ squad made two early goals stand up by turning away a flurry of Panthers’ offensive attacks in the second half for a 2-1 win in Tuesday’s Region 4A-2 girls soccer semifinal at Longhorn field.

Harmony now plays Friday in the regional final – the farthest the program’s ever advanced – at Wesley Chapel Wiregrass Ranch, who defeated River Ridge, 2-1, on Tuesday.

Jones said the Longhorns (16-1) got exactly what they expected from Eustis (19-6-1), a longtime rival who they beat in the regular season and the District 6 championship.

“We knew it’d be that kind of game, physical and pressure on every ball,” she said. “The first 10 minutes were intense, but we have the potential to play better, which gives us hope for the rest of the way.”

Before the players – or fans – could get settled, Kaley Ward bent a corner kick into the net for a Longhorn lead just 1:42 into the game. Sage Leffew pounded home a pass from Lindsey Johnson 11 minutes later to make it 2-0.

If Eustis appeared on its heels, it didn’t last long. Just three minutes later, the Panthers’ Alyssa Kaminski followed the bouncing ball after a free kick and narrowed the gap to one goal. The 2-1 Harmony lead would hold into halftime only because of three big saves by goalie Kaylee Horn — a diving save, a kick save and a cover of a corner kick — over a 12-minute stretch.

“I was going out of my mind between those saves,” said Horn, who hadn’t been seriously tested in goal since regular-season games at Westshore and Melbourne Central Catholic nearly a month ago. “Thinking about how hard we’ve worked to get here kept me refocused.

Eight minutes into the second half, the Panthers were on the verge of tying it during a mad scramble in front of the net as Horn got lost away from the ball and the goal. But the Longhorns defenders Heidi Mobley and Kendall Pollock converged to turn the ball away.

Harmony later had a couple of scoring chances but couldn’t convert, keeping the lead narrow. But after fighting off two free kicks near the Longhorn penalty area in the last four minutes, and a corner kick with 1:33 left, the one goal held up.

When the final horn sounded, the team didn’t know whether to jump and celebrate, or collapse in complete exhaustion.

“I was completely done at the end, playing and looking at the clock,” Mobley said. “But I knew I’d be like this at the end if it went our way.”

Pollock, who is on her second deep playoff run of the year (the volleyball team advanced to the regional semifinal), said she’s also on her second wind.

“I’ve got three more games in me,” she said, referring to Friday’s game and the state tournament. “Then I get to go throw the discus.”

Jones acknowledged that her team is now in unchartered territory. But, the all-out play she saw in the second half should keep the Longhorns a contender.

“This (semifinal win) was that one step better, but we have bigger plans,” she said. “I’ve never seen a more determined team. Their heart and determination have taken us this far.

A win Friday puts the Longhorns in the 4A state tournament starting next Thursday at University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium.