One clearout. One deflection. A save. Just a few more seconds of defense, is all the Vicksburg Missy Gators needed to survive and advance in their Class 5A playoff opener Tuesday.

The bounce they so desperately needed, though, went to Center Hill.

Madalyn Brown knocked a loose ball into the net for the tying goal with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation, then Center Hill scored on each of its first four penalty kicks in a shootout to beat Vicksburg 3-2 in a first-round playoff game at Memorial Stadium.

“It’s pretty hard, because we deserved to win. We played hard enough and smart enough to be able to win,” VHS senior defender Caroline Williams said.

It was the second straight year that the Missy Gators suffered a brutally tough defeat at home in their playoff opener.

Last season, they blew a 4-0 lead at halftime and lost to New Hope.

“It’s a kick in the gut,” Vicksburg coach Karen Carroll said. “You’re winning the whole game, pretty much. The last minute of the game they score to tie it. Boom. They played their hearts out.”

Mikayla Banks scored in the first half and Caroline Williams bombed a 30-yard free kick over the head of Center Hill keeper Terri Brown to put Vicksburg ahead 2-1 with just over 17 minutes left in regulation.

With its season hanging in the balance, Center Hill pushed its attackers forward and ratcheted up the pressure on the offensive end down the stretch.

The Lady Mustangs took 21 shots in the second half, including a half-dozen after Williams’ goal.

Virgie Demby stopped most of them — she finished with 17 saves — but got caught out of position when a clearing attempt squibbed off the side of a defender’s foot in the final seconds. Brown was in the right place at the right time, and knocked it into an open net to tie the game.

The whistle to end regulation blew immediately after the teams lined up for the ensuing kickoff.

“It was completely unreal. Surreal. I have never been more proud of my players,” Center Hill midfielder Caitlin Barnes said. “We all just dug really deep. We all had that edge to win and it came to us. We could not be more grateful.”

Two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods and two more 5-minute periods followed to send the game to a shootout.

Barnes, who played in the midfield for the first 110 minutes, opened the shootout with a goal and then moved into the net as the keeper. She deflected Williams’ shot up and over the crossbar to immediately give the Lady Mustangs the advantage.

“I play competitive (soccer) and I play goal, also, so it’s easy for me to flip,” Barnes said. “I couldn’t contain my excitement. I couldn’t breathe.”

Vicksburg’s next two shooters, Kirsten Silverthorne and Raven London, converted their kicks, but so did Center Hill’s next three shooters.

Needing a goal to prolong the best-of-five shootout, the Missy Gators came up empty. Freshman Brittney Palmer sent her penalty kick straight into Barnes’ hands.

“I’ve won them. I’ve lost them. I’ve been here before,” Carroll said. “But I’ve got six seniors that have been here for a third of their life. Seventeen years old and they’ve been here since seventh grade. It’s just heartbreaking for them.”

(B) Lewisburg 7, Vicksburg 0

Lewisburg exploded for six first-half goals, beat Vicksburg High for the second time in two weeks, and eliminated the Gators (5-13) from the Class 5A playoffs.

“We just started off really slow. We had early mental mistakes and didn’t adjust. (Lewisburg) was a well-oiled machine,” Vicksburg coach Michael Guidry said. “The seniors played hard, though. They left it all out on the field.”