Cullman and Albertville were on their way to penalty kicks in the first round of the Class 6A soccer playoffs and still, Lady Bearcat coach Jacob Brown refused to sweat.

And why should he have?

After all, his squad practices the short shots all the time and senior Hannah Spradlin has proven herself as one of the state’s best goalkeepers.

Enough said.

With help from Spradlin and a quartet of strikers, the Black and Gold bested Albertville 4-1 on penalty kicks Friday night at Oliver Woodard Stadium to clinch a spot in the second round. The postseason opener was tied at 1-1 after regular and a pair of five-minute overtimes.

And to think, Albertville had quickly put Cullman on its heels with a goal only 53 seconds in. What followed for the home team was 89 minutes of spectacular defense, which is what Brown has come to expect out of his squad.

“It’s phenomenal,” he said. “We actually haven’t come from behind in three years. I’m extremely proud that they’ve done it, kind of achieved a milestone. They’ve done something that this group of girls has never done before.”

The ’Cats took advantage of one of their few offensive chances with 13:29 left in the first half, tying it up on an Albertville own goal that was credited to Savannah Moss off a corner kick by Kaitlin Cook.

The score stayed square until it was time for penalty kicks. Ninfa Moreno, Cook, Ashelyn Cook and Kaitlin Phillips all put their attempts in the net, and Spradlin ensured Albertville went wide and high on two of their tries to ice the playoff thriller.

The Black and Gold girls celebrated in style by bumrushing the birthday girl. Spradlin, who’d been pining for another shot at the postseason since coming up short in her only experience as a freshman, turned 18 on Friday and was a good sport as she was serenaded post-triumph by her teammates and the crowd.

Like Brown, Spradlin didn’t sweat in the slightest when the game was on the line.

“I can’t really show my nerves because I’m a senior, so I have to kind of step up and handle everything,” she said. “But I’ve been through this twice last year with Hartselle, so I’m kind of used to it.”

Spradlin’s rejections at the end were nice, but none were near as clutch as the one she sprawled out for with a minute left in the second overtime.

It literally saved Cullman’s season.

“In my mind, she’s the MVP of the game,” Brown said. “Hands down, she’s the leader of this team.”

Phillips also played like a senior when it mattered most, staying calm and collected to boot in the penalty kick that acted as the nail in Albertville’s coffin.

“It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” she said. “I was very scared, but I just did what I do every day in practice.”

A lot of teams and players could’ve panicked when they were down in the blink of an eye — especially with the recent track record Brown described — but Phillips and Co. knew quitting was never an option. Not with so much at stake.

“We’ve been in that situation before, and we always come out on the bad side,” Phillips said. “As for me, I didn’t want this to be my last game as a high school student because I’m not playing soccer after this.”

Third-ranked Cullman (17-3-1) will face No. 9 Fort Payne, which shut out Lee-Huntsville 6-0, in the second round next Tuesday.