King's Academy girls soccer is moving on to the state championship for the first time in school history.
The No. 2-seeded Lions defeated No. 3 Lakeland Christian 5-4 in a dramatic penalty kick shootout after a scoreless regulation on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 17 in Auburndale.
Lions keeper Sabrina Callejas saved the first penalty shot she faced and the match went to a sudden death round of penalties after each team converted four of their first five penalties.
Callejas again came up big in the second round, saving the do-or-die penalty to set up King's Academy for the victory over the girls soccer titans. Senior midfielder Coco Joos then stepped up and converted the winning penalty kick.
King's Academy will be making their first-ever state championship appearance when they take the field on Wednesday, February 18 at 4 p.m. They will face the winner of No. 1 Palmer Trinity and No. 4 Providence School.
How it happened
Lakeland Christian (18-2-3), which won four straight state titles from 2021-24, was outplayed by King's Academy (22-1) during nearly every stretch of play.
While both teams settled into the game during the opening minutes, the Lions that wrested control of the momentum following the first-half water break, creating some action around the Vikings' net.
Mia Mackrey, who leads King's Academy with 37 goals entering Tuesday's game, went down in the opening minutes of the second half with an apparent injury.
Lola Hathorne stepped up in a big way, at one point out-dribbling multiple defenders with exceptional footwork to take a strike toward goal.
Though Mackrey would return to the field, it was Hathorne, the midfield engine, that continuously spearheaded the Lions attack.
"Sonner or later, you have to think Hathorne is going to find that breakthrough," announcers said during the NFHS Network's broadcast. "She's made a couple of great runs."
That breakthrough never came in regulation, though it wasn't for lack of trying.
On the other side of the pitch, Callejas made a top-shelf clearance charging out of her box to deny Lakeland Christian on a run.
Ultimately, the win for King's came down to the steel of the Lions' sophomore keeper, with Callejas' penalty saves the savior for an ongoing special season.
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: King's Academy girls soccer makes history, advances to state final