LAKEWOOD RANCH — Kaitlyn Kerrigan’s message was clear, simple and direct.
“Go with your gut feeling.”
Kerrigan heeded the advice from coach Guy Virgilio, converted her second penalty kick and catapulted the Lakewood Ranch girls soccer team past Naples Barron Collier 2-1 — 4-3 on penalty kicks — in the Class 4A-Region 3 finals Saturday.
Lakewood Ranch will play St. Johns Bartram Trail in the Class 4A semifinals at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium.
The hosts’ fans mobbed Kerrigan and her teammates following the winning penalty.
“I looked at (Virgilio) ... and for some reason I just knew, ‘I’m going to take a risk and go the other way,’” Kerrigan said.
But the first-ever state semifinal berth for the Mustangs wasn’t easy.
Barron Collier entered with a high-powered offense (112 goals scored) and a lock-down defense (seven allowed).
The scoring combo of senior Jamie Lockie and junior Jennifer Martin accounted for about 67 percent of the Cougars’ goals this season.
It was a fact not lost on the Mustangs’ back line.
Senior defender Kristen Hagaman shadowed the duo for most of the match.
“We tried to man-mark a little bit, but that’s kind of hard because they play out so wide,” the Mercer-bound co-captain said. “So we decided as a team that we were going to talk a lot.”
The constant switching in the back worked as the Mustangs held the Cougars’ vaunted offense to one shot on goal in the first half.
Lockie also injured her right knee in the 27th minute and left for the remainder of the half.
That allowed Lakewood Ranch (19-0-2) to pound the offensive third that nearly gave way to the first goal.
But Aubrey Riggins’ left-footed blast caromed off the crossbar and was cleared out in the 29th minute.
Then the Mustangs’ offense went stagnant to begin the second half as the Cougars (21-2) had several chances at the opening goal.
The returning Lockie drilled a 55th-minute shot that Lakewood Ranch keeper Katherine Somodi smothered. Lockie hit the bar four minutes later before benefiting on a Mustangs mistake in the 61st minute.
“Katherine came out and had it in her hands, and I was trying to shield (Lockie) off of her, but I guess the ball popped out, and it went out left to (Lockie),” Hagaman said.
The conceded goal revved up the Mustangs as they threw everything at Barron Collier.
“I was playing forward, and I’m a center defender,” said Hagaman about how far the team pushed up in the final minutes.
Then as time was running out, a Cougars foul in the box gave the Mustangs a chance to draw even and force sudden death.
Kerrigan drilled the ensuing penalty under Barron Collier keeper Kaitlin Conway’s hands, as Virgilio had his back turned away on the sidelines.
“I never watch penalty kicks, it’s been that way since Day One ... and I knew she was going to make it happen,” Virgilio said.
The sides played to a stalemate in the extra periods, which forced the pressure-cooking shootout.
The Cougars missed two shots — one off the bar — setting the stage for Kerrigan’s game-winner.
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