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The Callaway girls soccer team cruised into the Sweet 16 with a thrilling 2-1 win over Union County on Thursday. 

“This feeling doesn’t get old,” said assistant coach Jeff McGuffin, the only member of the team who was on staff when the team last won a playoff game. “Honestly, it feels like a long time coming, and I’m so thrilled for these girls right now.”

This was the team’s first playoff win since 2018, and the stars of the show were a long way from being Callaway soccer players when that happened.

“You hear about winning playoff games and it sounds exciting, but it doesn’t even compare to what it actually feels like,” senior captain Bianka Sola said. 

The first half was evenly contested, but the Cavaliers took their chances to capture a 2-0 lead going into halftime.

Union County appeared to open the scoring 12 minutes into the game, scoring on a rebound after a save from Alayna Leithleiter. The player who scored on the rebound was deemed to be in an offside position.

The Cavaliers would capitalize just a minute later, quickly moving the ball up the pitch and taking a 1-0 lead when Sofia Flores found the back of the net. 

“It felt amazing, it’s hard to put into words

Callaway doubled its lead with 12 minutes to go in the first half when Flores threaded a perfect through ball to senior Sola, who scored in what was likely her final home game.

“I knew this could have been my last game in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t worried about it because I know what this team is capable of,” Sola said. 

Zoe Molina had a chance to put the Cavaliers up by three goals before halftime, but her shot was saved by the Panther goalkeeper. 

The Cavaliers started the second half with a flurry. Flores had a shot that was destined for the net cleared off the line by a Union County defender. Ella Kelly had a header go just over the goal and had a second shot saved just minutes later. 

The Cougars punished the Cavaliers for missing their chances, winning a penalty kick which they buried with 24 minutes left to go in the contest. An energetic crowd was on pins and needles for the remainder of the game, but the Cavaliers showed great maturity to hold on to the lead. 

“You have to be able to see a game like this out,” head coach Mike Petite said. “This team just has a different mindset (than previous teams). Other teams in the past might have put their heads down and dropped their shoulders after conceding the penalty. We’ve had teams with better records in the past, but this team just has a different mindset.”

There were multiple chances late for both teams, including the Panthers hitting the post with 10 minutes to go, and then Liethleiter came out of her goal to make a massive save just minutes later.

“I just saw the girl and the ball and started charging,” Leithleiter said, laughing. 

“Best goalkeeper in the state,” Sola added.

Leithleiter, the team’s starting goalkeeper, did her part, saving everything that came her way but the penalty kick, where she was at a major disadvantage. 

“You will see her at practice and she won’t come out sliding for the ball, so you get a little worried, but then you get to the game and she starts sliding and making great saves,” goalkeeper coach John Will White said. “That is about as clutch of a performance from a Callaway goalkeeper as I’ve ever seen.” 

Callaway is heading to the second round of the 2A state playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Cavaliers will likely be traveling to take on powerhouse Columbus High next week for the round of 16.