A natural first baseman on the diamond, and a wide receiver on the gridiron, Kaymin Ulmer is known for having good hands. Thus the reason Laurel boys soccer coach Markel Milsap asked Ulmer to join the team and play the one position where good hands are a hot commodity.

The Laurel senior keeper kept South Jones scoreless through all 80 minutes of Thursday night’s Region 5-5A finale, despite his team being outshot two-to-one.

"Caleb has a skill set catching balls,” said Milsap. “He's a first baseman on the baseball team. He reacts to every ball on the ground and in the air. It's like first base for him.

"Ulmer is a first-year goalie. He's never played soccer in his life. He plays football and baseball. I asked him during the summer to come out and play for us. Honestly, he's the MVP of this team. Most of the games we've won are because of him making several [incredible] saves on goal. South Jones made some great shots tonight [that tested him]. His hands are A-plus."

Save after save by Ulmer, plus two goals on the opposite end of the senior keeper, led Laurel to a 2-0 win over South Jones Thursday night in both team’s 5-5A finale. The win earned Laurel a berth in the upcoming playoffs.

"All year, we've had problems when opposing teams get in the box," said Ulmer. "When the ball is inside the box, I know to go get it. Using my hands, my reaction, and my speed [helped us tonight] inside the box. South Jones took a lot of shots. I knew I had to put in the effort to give us a chance."

All forty minutes of the first half and 13 of the second remained gridlocked at nil apiece until a penalty just outside the box by South Jones awarded Laurel with a free-kick.

"I asked William [Mora] to take the shot,” said Milsap. “We depend on him and several other seniors all the time. Byran [Cordoba] tapped the ball to the side, and William finished.”

Mora’s shot found the back of the net in the 54th minute.

Laurel’s second goal broke the plain in the final second on a long shot by Bryce Page to beat South Jones keeper Cody Conliff, who was in full retreat after running across the pitch on a corner shot attempt by the Braves on the opposite end.

Laurel's Bryce Page scores a goal in the final seconds of Thursday night's game against South Jones.

"This was a rough and physical game for both teams,” said Milsap. “South Jones played a great game. I'm proud of those kids.”

Milsap said his team played it’s best game of the year when the conditions matched up with that of Tuesday night’s game.

"We haven't played good all year in tight games,” Milsap added. “We've always been the team that plays well when we're ahead. But this was a first where we played well in a tight game. I'm proud of all our guys.

“We've had to deal with a lot this year. I'm proud of the way they fought through it and fought to the end.”

Laurel improves to 9-9-4 on the year; 4-2 in Region 5-5A.

“Now we await the playoffs that begin on Tuesday [of next week],” said Milsap. “We’re ready for any challenge.”