The last time Longmont soccer hosted a Class 4A playoff game, just a year ago, the Trojans left with a bad taste in their mouths. Thursday’s 3-2 home victory over No. 27 Summit proved much sweeter for the sixth-ranked squad.

All of it boiled down to two second-half set pieces that bounced off Charlie Sanseverino’s cleats, first in the 44th minute and later in the 59th. He tapped in the second off of a corner kick that first bounced off of his teammate’s forehead.

Summit unintentionally scored Longmont’s first goal during the first half.

“I practice that so much and rarely get the chance to use it, so the one time I get it, it feels good when it goes in,” the senior defender said. “We put a lot more effort into this team, I think, than a couple years ago. We just weren’t trying too hard, and then we came with confidence that we were going to do well. I think all that confidence just built us up.

“We lost last year in the first round, so that just gave us even more (motivation) to win this game. I think it really hurt all of us, because it was the first time we came to the playoffs in a really long time. Everyone knew, this year, that we needed to win something for all the seniors that we got.”

Much of this season has been about putting the rest of 4A on notice for the 11-2-3 squad.

The Trojans began the year riding high, winning the first seven games while giving up just four scores. They waited until the last two weeks of the regular season, in contests against No. 4 Centaurus and No. 5 Silver Creek, before picking up a loss. They turned around right after to tie with 3A’s top-seeded Holy Family.

“At the beginning of the season, they were doing real well, putting games together — complete games — scoring a lot of goals,” head coach Andy Callaway said. “The end of the season really got us ready for the postseason with Centaurus, Silver Creek and then Holy Family. Those three teams really opened their eyes, that it takes a lot more effort, a lot more physicality to make a deep run in the playoffs. The (Granite Peaks League) itself is extremely deep.”

Sanseverino, while noting the effort piece, said that the addition of Noah Chavarria — who last year played for MLS Next — Zander Salva, and players from junior varsity like Emanuel Flores, has taken the team to a new level.

They’ll get the chance to see just how far they’ve risen when they return home for their second-round action against either No. 11 Evergreen or No. 22 Lutheran next Wednesday. Callaway believes his boys are primed for whatever they’ll face.

“It’s just a great group of boys,” he said. “They’ve bought into everything we’re doing here. I’m speechless. I’m happy for them. I know last year was awful, but they came out a little sluggish tonight. I think they took the opponent a little too easy, but the second-half effort really showed that they’re serious and they can be a force to reckon with when they want to be.”