Sarasota Paradise earned their first playoff win in club history with a 2-0 victory over Sporting JAX in the Southern Conference Quarterfinal. Goals from Elias Khodri and Andres Freire sealed the win in front of a roaring home crowd at Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch.
The game opened with Sporting JAX controlling the first ten minutes, forcing Paradise goalkeeper Jack Kilstrom into multiple acrobatic saves to keep the score level.
After settling in, Sarasota began to find their rhythm around the 15-minute mark. Elias Khodri and Felipe Rojas connected well down the left flank, generating several promising chances.
In the 35th minute, Paradise attacked quickly on a counter-attack. Andres Freire played a perfectly weighted ball to Kai Tamashiro, who was brought down by a last-ditch tackle from a Sporting JAX defender.
Sarasota finally broke through in the 43rd minute. Midfielder Owen Barnett found Elias Khodri open on the left side of the box, and Khodri curled a beautiful shot past the Sporting JAX keeper into the right side of the net, giving Paradise a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Early in the second half, Kilstrom made another crucial stop, deflecting a Sporting JAX shot onto the crossbar in the 50th minute to preserve the lead.
In the 69th minute, Sarasota doubled their advantage. Andres Freire received the ball on the byline and converted home a one-time finish, aided by a deflection off a Sporting JAX defender.
“It feels great—feels sweet. Sweet Sixteen, here we come,” said Freire after the game. “It feels great to do it in front of my family and friends. Our home crowd, they were a huge factor… We are all in a good mood.”
Paradise defended their two-goal cushion through the final 30 minutes, holding off Sporting JAX until the final whistle.
“It’s an amazing feeling. They were a very, very good side—a quality team. They gave us a run,” said Head Coach Mirko Djakovic after the win.
Sunrise Irrigation Player of the Game, Jack Kilstrom, emphasized the importance of teamwork when in critical win or go home games: “It was a group effort… It all stems from top to bottom. It’s not just a me player of the game, but a team of the game.”
With the victory, Sarasota Paradise advances to the Southern Conference Semifinal where they’ll face Fort Lauderdale United on Sunday, July 20 at 7:30 PM at Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch.
Get your tickets at sarasotaparadise.us/semifinal.