Shelbey Johnson faced the goal at the west end of Mules Stadium, Cape Central keeper Kathleen Kinder standing on the goal line 6 yards away trying to keep the Poplar Bluff junior from adding to a one-goal lead.
"Last time I took a PK I looked at the keeper and kicked it straight to her," Johnson said of her penalty in the second half Tuesday night.
"That was in the back of my head the whole time, 'Shelbey you can't miss this, you've got to get it, we need it.'"
Johnson slipped the ball inside the right post, extending Poplar Bluff's lead in the 62nd minute as the junior broke her own single-season team record. Nearly 3 minutes later, Johnson finished off her sixth hat trick for goal No. 26 in a 4-1 win over the Tigers.
Neida Grimaldo scored just 69 seconds after kickoff and set up Johnson's go-ahead goal in the 28th minute for the Mules (6-7).
Sophie Rowland added to her team-record assist total when Johnson headed in a corner. It was Rowland's 16th assist while the sophomore's pass put Johnson in on a break leading to the penalty.
Johnson, who scored her 54th career goal, scored 24 times last season, breaking a 2008 record set by Chelsea Garner, after missing nearly all of her freshman year with a serious brain bleed that required surgery.
Central (6-8-1) had an equalizing goal thwarted twice in the second half by diving saves from Mules keeper Shelby Sievers.
The junior got a hand on a shot by Central's Calli House in the 58th minute then cut off a redirected shot on the ensuing corner with a diving save.
Four minutes later, Johnson was lining up for her record-breaking penalty.
"They had us on our heels and that's sometimes what it takes," Mules coach Rusty Crafton said. "We got going."
Sievers made 10 saves as the Mules held an opponent to a goal or less for the fourth time.
"The goal keeper, give her credit, she made two great saves," Central coach Jared Dobbs said. "I definitely applauded her when she made those."
House also hit the crossbar from inside 10 yards in the 53rd minute and Central had a few more runs at tying the game early in the second half.
Anna Mattison tied the game for the Tigers at 1-all in the 22nd minute on a cross from Madilyn Dunn.
The Mules jumped ahead when freshman Ady Kingree's long volley was initially stopped by Kinder but the ball bounced free. Grimaldo chased down the loose ball near the goal line and scored from a deep angle for her sixth goal.
"Great follow-up, great way to start the game," Crafton said. "That's one of our keys in getting better every game is to start the game better than we have been in the past."
Grimaldo's steal in the midfield set up the go-ahead goal but the junior's night ended with an injury on a hard fall to the turf. Grimaldo has scored in three straight games.
"We're hoping she's OK because we're definitely needing her moving forward," Crafton said.
The Mules got an extra player off the bench with the debut of freshman Kiley Bess, who has been recovering from an ankle injury at the end of basketball season.
Poplar Bluff played the final 5:46 a player down after a pair of yellow cards issued to freshman Brylee Misner in the span of two minutes. Sophie Rowland also picked up a yellow card.
"That's a good test for us because you never know, going into district playoffs, sometimes those things happen," Crafton said. "Proud of the girls, the way they stepped up in that situation."
The Mules were playing for the first time in eight days after a tournament in West Plains over the weekend was canceled by weather.
Sophie Rowland said the extra practice helped.
"I thought we came out and passed a lot better, moved the ball," Rowland said. "Ball movement was great, talking was much better."
Central won the junior varsity game 2-0.