NAPLES – When the Cape Coral High boys’ soccer team walked off the artificial turf at Naples High School Thursday night, a collective sigh of relief almost could be heard over the players’ celebratory roar after a 2-1 victory over the Eagles in the Region 4A-3 playoffs.

The win gets the Seahawks (21-1-3) back on the winning track a week after having their season-long unbeaten streak shattered by Fort Myers in the District 4A-11 championship game. It also earns them home field advantage for Tuesday night’s regional semifinal match against Golden Gate, which advanced with a 4-0 win at Fort Myers.

That winning track was a bit wobbly throughout Thursday’s regional quarterfinal match as the Eagles (18-4-4), who a week earlier upset previously unbeaten Golden Gate in the District 4A-12 championship game for the second year in a row, outshot the Seahawks 38-11 overall and 19-7 in shots on goal.

As the Eagles used their speed, ball skills and knowledge of the artificial surface to their advantage, it seemed only a matter of time before they would break through to score the game-winning goal.

“Our defense absorbed a lot of pressure,” said Seahawks coach Aldo Nardiello. “We were very fortunate. They bombarded us with shots and our goalkeeper is the hero of the night. He made a lot of saves, some of them at point-blank range.”

Junior goalkeeper Daniel Villamil saved 18 of the 19 shots on goal he faced. Ten of the 18 saves came in the second half.

“It was a war against a tough team,” said Villamil. “They had some great strikers and made some quick passes.”

Not only was Villamil busy, but the Seahawks defense was under constant attack, especially in the final 10 minutes. As the minutes ticked off the game clock with the score tied 1-1 since midway through the first half, the game became a nailbiter, and more physical.

With just over nine minutes remaining, the Seahawks worked a combination play following a throw-in on the left sideline. Juan Cano sent a pass out to junior forward Ronald Lind on the right wing and he buried the ball in the far corner of the net to put the Seahawks ahead for good 2-1.

Cape spent the final minutes of the game on the defensive. The Eagles drew five yellow cards in the second half obviously frustrated by their failure to score. Three of the yellow cards came after the Seahawks claimed their final lead.

“We got a couple of nice goals against the grain of the play, which was the exact opposite of the district championship game with Fort Myers when we outshot them and lost,” said Nardiello.

The Seahawks took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute of play on their second shot on goal. Lind sent a pass out on the right wing to Caio Amaral, who worked on a defender for 20 yards to the endline. He reversed his direction and headed back toward the middle before firing a shot into the far left corner of the goal.

“We played well in spurts,” said Nardiello. “I was impressed with (Naples) transition from defense to offense which kept us off our game all night.”