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  • Foothill's Austin Babb scoops up a ball on his way...

    Foothill's Austin Babb scoops up a ball on his way towards San Clemente's goal in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill fan Aidan Cleary carries the flag for the team...

    Foothill fan Aidan Cleary carries the flag for the team as they faced San Clemente in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill's Nate Marano slings a goal into San Clemente's net...

    Foothill's Nate Marano slings a goal into San Clemente's net in his team's 13-8 victory in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • San Clemente's Stone Sims, standing, wrangles the ball from Foothill's...

    San Clemente's Stone Sims, standing, wrangles the ball from Foothill's Austin Babb in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • San Clemente's Austin Boyer, left, keeps a Foothill goal out...

    San Clemente's Austin Boyer, left, keeps a Foothill goal out the net as Foothill player Kevin Kodzis looks on in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill's Matt Marano, center, falls to the ground trying to...

    Foothill's Matt Marano, center, falls to the ground trying to keep the ball from San Clemente's Austin Streeter, left, and Caleb Bozarth in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • San Clemente's Austin Streeter, left, and Pete Dahl celebrate a...

    San Clemente's Austin Streeter, left, and Pete Dahl celebrate a goal against Foothill in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • San Clemente, not shown, slips a goal past Foothill goalie...

    San Clemente, not shown, slips a goal past Foothill goalie Ryan Blank but would lose, 13-8, in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • San Clemente's Peyton Garrett, center, celebrates a goal in his...

    San Clemente's Peyton Garrett, center, celebrates a goal in his team's 13-8 loss to Foothill in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill celebrates their 13-8 victory over San Clemente in the...

    Foothill celebrates their 13-8 victory over San Clemente in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinal Saturday at Laguna Hills High.

  • Foothill goalie Ryan Blank is congratulated by teammate Ryan Falbo...

    Foothill goalie Ryan Blank is congratulated by teammate Ryan Falbo on their 13-8 victory over San Clemente in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill head coach Jon Fox, right, is all smiles hugging...

    Foothill head coach Jon Fox, right, is all smiles hugging an unidentified assistant coach after his team defeated San Clemente, 13-8, in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • San Clemente's Collin Zines, left, would score on this shot...

    San Clemente's Collin Zines, left, would score on this shot at goal against Foothill in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill's Ryan Falbo, left, gets a hug from Wayne Case...

    Foothill's Ryan Falbo, left, gets a hug from Wayne Case after scoring in a 13-8 victory over San Clemente in the county semifinals Saturday at Laguna Hills High.

  • Foothill's Ryan Falbo celebrates a score against San Clemente in...

    Foothill's Ryan Falbo celebrates a score against San Clemente in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill's Nate Marano, obscured at left, zings a score past...

    Foothill's Nate Marano, obscured at left, zings a score past San Clemente's Austin Boyer, leaping right, in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

  • Foothill's Austin Babb battles for position on the ball with...

    Foothill's Austin Babb battles for position on the ball with an unidentified San Clemente defender in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High on Saturday.

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LAGUNA HILLS – The county semifinals have been a hump the Foothill boys lacrosse team couldn’t get over recently.

The Knights had been county champions five consecutive years before bowing out in the semifinals the past two seasons.

Top-seeded Foothill rid itself of all semifinal frustrations on Saturday with a 13-8 victory over San Clemente in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division semifinals at Laguna Hills High.

“It’s our goal every year to get to the championship game,” Knights coach Jon Fox said. “It just feels like the hard work you put in is paying off, just for all the kids you have coming through, for all the seniors especially.”

Foothill (19-1) will meet No. 3 JSerra in the final, thanks in part to four goals from both Nick Matzek and Nate Marano.

It was quite a different affair from the first meeting between these two teams, which ended in a 17-16 Knights victory.

Foothill displayed a more sound defense and was able to limit the Tritons’ opportunities, which led to a 7-2 halftime lead.

Austin Babb’s strength on faceoffs allowed the Knights to control possession.

Austin Streeter had three goals for San Clemente (16-5), while Peyton Garrett scored two.

In the other semifinal:

No. 3 JSerra 9, No. 2 Corona del Mar 8: If Foothill’s major nemesis lately had been the semifinals, the Lions’ came in the form of the Sea Kings.

Corona del Mar quieted JSerra’s typically high-potent offense in wins in the semifinals last season and regular season this year.

It came down to the final seconds, but the Lions finally got past CdM.

“It felt like it was a little monkey on your back,” JSerra assistant coach Andrew Casimir said. “Those guys got the best of us the past (few) times out. So it was great to get a rematch of last year’s semifinals and get a win.”

The Lions (17-4) built a 9-6 lead with 2:26 remaining when Mitch Kingsley scored his fifth goal of the game.

Corona del Mar (15-2) scored two goals right away and had possession with 35 seconds left.

JSerra’s defense led by goalkeeper Jake Henigman, who had a great performance in net, turned away the Sea Kings.

The county final will be a rematch of a regular-season game from April, when Foothill beat JSerra, 13-12.

Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com