Lawrence boys soccer reaches Nassau Class A final on Benjamin Perez's header

Right around the 6-yard box, Lawrence senior center back Benjamin Perez leapt in the air, smiling wide while running, yelling and jumping around like his hair was on fire.

In the same exact spot just over an hour earlier, Perez used those hairs on his head to burst through the air and head in what would prove to be the winning goal off Brandon Moran-Flores’s corner kick in No. 4 Lawrence’s 1-0 win over No. 1 Mineola in the Nassau Class A semifinal Wednesday evening.

“I’ve wanted a header goal so badly all year,” Perez said. “It’s just crazy that it happened to be the winning goal.”

The joy felt tangible at Jericho High School, no more evident than when midfielder Kevin Molina reached over the fence to hug a friend in a red hoodie before he was yanked over the barrier and swallowed by Lawrence supporters. It’s the opposite feeling Lawrence felt 363 days ago when Mineola lifted the Nassau A title over the Golden Tornadoes in the county championship in a decisive 3-0 win.

But this year, strong defensive play, headlined by Perez, Joseph Gonzalez, Hosman Sevilla and Yaxon Arriaga, contributed to Lawrence’s ninth shutout of the season.

“(Perez) was the best player on the field,” Lawrence coach Gerard Lagasse said. “His will to win and will to battle made the difference.”

Molina and fellow midfielder Alex Samayoa kept possession and sandwiched attackers when the long ball came through. Meanwhile attackers Kevin Mendoza and Moran-Flores hounded Mineola’s back line into mistakes and kick-and-run play.

“The high press (made the difference),” Perez said. “We wanted to pressure the defenders while they had the ball.”

Lagasse aptly described Mendoza as a “piranha” on defense.

“When he latches on, he just doesn’t let go,” Lagasse said.

Both team’s goalies played well, with Gabriel Rosales coming off his line to disrupt the deep ball. Mineola’s Jesse Kostullas gave everything he could with his eight saves, keeping the Mustangs (14-2) alive into the final seconds.

Lagasse kept the focus on disrupting Mineola’s usually possessive-heavy approach. The top-seeded side had just three shots on goal, though two hit the posts in the first half.

Now there’s one more game to win to go further than Lawrence (13-3-2) went a year ago. The Golden Tornadoes will face No. 2 North Shore, which beat No. 3 Floral Park 1-0, in the Nassau A final at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at Farmingdale State.

“It shows the character of our team that we were able to have them on their heels,” Lagasse said. “We stuck to our game plan, and we got the chance to redeem ourselves.”