SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A year ago, as the No. 1-seed in the Western Conference, Orange County Blues FC was still unable to break out of its history of postseason disappointment, as it remained winless in the USL Cup Playoffs after defeat to the LA Galaxy II.

On Saturday night, at the opposite end of the spectrum as the West’s No. 8 seed, the club’s first playoff victory finally arrived, as Didier Crettenand’s spot kick sealed a 5-4 penalty shootout win against No.1-seed Sacramento Republic FC at Bonney Field in the Western Conference Quarterfinals after the sides had played to a 0-0 draw through regulation and overtime.

“It feels rather good,” Blues Head Coach Barry Venison said with a laugh after the game. “It was a fantastic performance by the players. The first half Sacramento were by far the better team, then we got a grip of the game and we created a lot of chances. We didn’t convert our chances, we made it harder than we should have. We showed a lot of organization, character, desire, all the things we’ve been working on. The players have got phenomenal ability, togetherness and we’re now sneaking up on the whole pack, and we’re loving it.”

The Blues came close to taking victory in regulation as Akfawei Ajeakwa hit the crossbar in the first half, and Trinidad & Tobago international Trevin Caesar squandered a one-on-one with Republic FC goalkeeper Evan Newton early in the second. As the game wore on, though, the visitors appeared the more likely side to find the breakthrough. Ajeakwa curled a shot just wide with 15 minutes to go, while the side controlled the rhythm of the midfield far better in the second 45 minutes.

Former Blues player Ivan Mirkovic was central to that effort, as the now Blues midfielder fed off the energy of another five-figure crowd at the venue he used to call home.

“It was good, the atmosphere was electric out there and that carried us through the 120 minutes,” said Mirkovic. “The fans were great here, and it was the sort of soccer atmosphere you can have in Europe, so that pushed us through the whole 120 minutes.”

While Sacramento went to the bench earlier in the second half to try and find a winning combination and regain the upper hand, Venison waited longer to make his moves. The ended up paying off handsomely in the shootout, as substitutes Roy Meeus, Dusan Stevanovic and Orr Barouch all found the net, allowing goalkeeper Josh Cohen’s save of J.J. Koval’s shot in the third round to stand as the deciding factor.

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For players like the 30-year-old Crettenand, that meant going a full 120 minutes, when previously this season he had completed only 13 of his 23 appearances for the side. Venison was pleased with the manner in which he fought through, allowing him to be available when the shootout arrived.

“Didier hit a wall after a certain amount of time, and I certainly considered taking him off because his legs weren’t fresh, but he dug in, he dug deep,” said Venison. “Richard Chaplow kept digging and digging and digging. Ivan covered every blade of grass, phenomenal performance, and every player out there gave everything they had.”

Having requested to take the Blues’ shot in the fifth round, Crettenand converted to send the visitors into similar celebrations to that of a week ago, when they claimed the final berth in the Western Conference’s playoff field with more late dramatics.

“My focus was to put the ball in the back of the net, and I did the job,” Crettenand said. “I don’t feel the pressure. … I’m happy for my team, I’m happy for my teammates.”

Venison said the side will likely take a couple of days off before returning to training, and the prospect of a conference semifinal next Sunday against the Swope Park Rangers – the only team of the top four seeds to take victory in the Western bracket.

With the club’s first playoff victory in hand, opportunity now seems wide open for Orange County’s tight-knit group.

“The quality of our team and the effort and togetherness has taken us this far and it’s what will take us further,” said Venison. “If we have an opportunity to do that, it’s because of the togetherness and the teamwork, fantastic spirit. We’re going to take a couple of days off, enjoy tonight but take a couple of days off, rest, and then we’re going to prepare for Swope Park, and we look forward to going there.”