Prior to this season, Raiko Arozarena had yet to save a penalty kick in either the USL Championship or USL League One.

As Las Vegas Lights FC embarked on its first trip to the postseason, though, the Cuban international came through in spectacular fashion.

Denying each of the first three penalties he faced in a shootout against Sacramento Republic FC at Cashman Field on Friday night in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix, Arozarena starred as his side advanced 3-2 from the spot – just as his teammates believed he would.

“Raiko has been amazing all year long, and he’s still delivering tonight,” said Lights attacking midfielder Valentin Noël. “He’s huge for us. A successful team obviously has a very competitive goalkeeper.”

It stood in stark contrast to the last time Arozarena appeared in the Championship Playoffs. Drafted into the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ lineup for the 2021 USL Championship Final after an injury to starter Evan Louro, he was on the wrong end of a 3-1 defeat that ended Tampa Bay’s season on a sour note.

Arriving in Las Vegas this offseason as part of the club’s offseason overhaul of its roster, however, Arozarena’s shot-stopping qualities shone through. He recorded 74 saves, a save percentage of 71 percent, and a Goals Prevented mark of -4.04, allowing 29 goals on 33.04 Expected Goals Against on Target, as the Lights’ regular starter, building on the exploits that have seen him shine for Cuba at the international level.

In relative terms on Friday night, Arozarena had a quiet night before the game headed to the spot with the sides scoreless after 120 minutes. He had been forced into only three saves, none of which were overly challenging as the Lights’ consistent possession and territorial advantage saw the hosts carry much of the game.

There was a moment of nervousness Arozarena caused himself as a turnover under pressure gave the visitors a sight on goal, only for teammates Ousman Jabang to intervene and block Nick Ross’ effort away to safety at the top of the penalty area 10 minutes into the second half.

And when the game went to the spot, the 27-year-old was at the top of his game.

With Republic FC winning the coin-toss to shoot first, Arozarena nullified the potential advantage. First, he denied Justin Portillo’s low shot to the left corner, then Damia Viader’s effort to the same corner, and then Russell Cicerone’s shot to the right corner.

“We’ve been focused on [penalties] over the last few weeks, but a lot of that is intuition, feeling confident, and Raiko has earned the right to be out there,” said Lights Head Coach Dennis Sanchez. “Once again, he comes up and makes big plays for us.”

The challenge for Lights? Through two rounds, his Republic FC counterpart Danny Vitiello also proved up to the task. The 2023 USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year made big stops on both Khori Bennett and J.C. Ngando in the opening two rounds to keep the game scoreless before the Lights’ Coleman Gannon stepped up to close the third round.

“At this point, if you want to win the title, you have to beat anybody,” said Noël. “If Phoenix [Rising] wins [against New Mexico United], that means they come here, and we would love to have a second game at home.

“Tonight was fantastic. It was great. It’s definitely a plus to have this home-field advantage.”

With Arozarena as their ace in the hole, the Lights aren’t ready to leave the stage just yet.