That phrase, and then some, was absolutely applicable to Eisenhower keeper Faith Johnson’s performance during the Knights opening round match against Mercer in the District 10 playoffs Tuesday at Greenville High School.

Johnson withstood a barrage of shots in the final minutes and made a pair of diving stops with less than a minute left to propel Eisenhower on to the next round with a 2-1 win over the Mustangs.

“I honestly don’t remember any of it right now,” Johnson mused immediately after the game. “I was just thinking (in the final minutes), ‘We made it this far, I have to play my hardest.'”

Play her hardest she certainly did.

Eisenhower’s Rachel Frederick (3) races Mercer’s Iana Ellis (18) to the ball during their District 10 playoff match at Greenville High School, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. Frederick was a big key for the Knights defense as they had to fend off a relentless Mustangs attack in order to secure a 2-1 victory

In that final minute, Mercer got a shot off that Johnson had to make a diving stop on. The ball died on the turf about a foot away from Johnson’s hand. She pushed herself to the ball and was able to get it clear of the post and close enough to one of her teammates for them to clear.

“It was more mental for me (at that point),” Johnson said. “I had some trouble making diving saves last year, now it’s more instinct.”

“She did a phenomenal job,” Eisenhower coach Diane Elmquist said.

Mercer controlled possession for nearly the entire final three minutes as the Eisenhower defense just kept trying to force the ball out of the shooting lanes. The Mustangs barely allowed the ball to travel beyond midfield in that time and just kept sending shot after shot toward the net.

The Knights defense would not break, however; as they were able to limit quality chances and kept a number of shots from reaching Johnson.

Eisenhower’s Lydia Giannini (32) heads in a corner kick during a District 10 playoff match against Mercer at Greenville High School, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. Giannini’s goal ended up being the game winner as the Knights defeated the Mustangs, 2-1, to advance in the postseason.

“Rachel (Frederick) was powerful in the back end, Savannah (McKown) is always solid Hope Hefright had a strong game and Ellie (Strausser), as a freshman, did a great job,” Elmquist said of her defense.

The defense was called upon early and often in the match.

Typically an attacking offensive team, the Knights came out seemingly hesitant to go after the ball and the Mustangs took full advantage. Mercer pressed the issue at every opportunity, but Eisenhower bared down when necessary and cleared. On the few occasions the Mustangs got a shot off, Johnson was there for the save.

“(The slow start) was 100 percent nerves,” Elmquist said.

“It took us about 10 minutes to get in a groove,” Johnson added.

Eisenhower’s Terry Lee Talasky fires a shot on net during a District 10 playoff match against Mercer at Greenville High School, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. The rebound from this shot went to Leah Peterson who tapped it in for the game’s first score. The Knights went on to defeat the Mustangs, 2-1.

Once the Knights settled in, they began to take advantage of a loosely called game. Terry Lee Talasky got possession near midfield and simply outmuscled a defender down the right side. Talasky got off a sharp angle shot that Mercer keeper Bailey Grossman was able to get her fingertips on. The rebound bounced right to Leah Peterson for the easy tap in and a 1-0 Eisenhower lead at 24:01.

“We expected that it would be a tough, physical match,” Elmquist said. “They’re a tough team, similar to Seneca and Iroquois.”

That lead would hold through the first 40 minutes.

Though leading, the Knights went into the half knowing they would need to step up their play.

“We came out in the first half not talking, we were bunching and not working as a team. In the second half, we played like the team we are.”

There were no nerves to start the second half as Eisenhower looked more like the team that racked up a 14-4 regular season record. The Knights were attacking the ball and applying pressure offensively and it didn’t take long for that pressure to pay off.

Less than three minutes into the half, Caroline Smelko took a corner kick from the right side. The ball sailed up and Lydia Giannini was able to get a head on it. That caught Grossman off-guard and the ball went in just beyond her fingertips to give Eisenhower a 2-0 advantage.

The game went back-and-forth from that point as both teams had opportunities to score, but the keepers and defenses went into complete shutdown mode.

Mercer finally solved Johnson at 66:48. A battle for possession in front of the Knights net led to Emma Juergens getting the ball at center. She immediately fired a shot to the right post that was just out of Johnson’s reach and cut the lead to 2-1.

The teams continued battling from there until those final minutes.

The Knights must now turn their attention to a familiar foe.

Seneca defeated Kennedy Catholic 15-1 Tuesday to set up a rubber match between the two teams. The Bobcats won the first match 9-0 in Seneca. The Knights ground out a 5-4, double overtime win when the Bobcats came to Eisenhower late in the year.

Elmquist is confident defeating a tough opponent to open the postseason will only help her team moving forward.

“Our defense needs to stay strong,” she said. “They have the ability to win, they just need to keep playing like they did in the second half.”

Johnson, who will have to have another strong game in net if the Knights are to advance, echoed the importance of getting that first win.

“We’re very excited, but still have lots of work,” she said. “But we know we can do it.”

Time and location for the match will be announced at a later date, but the match is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 30.