MacKenzie Cerda did everything in her power to put the Edison girls soccer team on the brink of playing in the CIF-SS Division 1 final.
Cerda scored her fifth goal of the postseason early to give the Chargers a one-goal lead against Foothill.
But when Cerda took an apparent knee to the ribs during a collision with Knights goalie Justine Rendl in the 71st minute, it was up to her teammates to get Edison to its first title game appearance since 2002.
With Cerda watching from the bench, the Chargers punched their tickets to the championship game with a 1-0 victory against Foothill in a Division 1 semifinal at Edison High.
“They played with a lot of heart. They’re not going to let their leader down,” Chargers coach Kerry Crooks said about her team’s response when Cerda went down.
Edison (12-5-4) will face Santa Margarita in the Division 1 final Friday or Saturday. The Southern Section today will announce the date, location and time of the game.
It would be a huge loss for Edison if it doesn’t have Cerda for the championship game. She has scored five of the team’s six goals in the postseason, during which it has defeated three consecutive league champions.
Freshman goalkeeper Zoe Clevely came up with another solid performance against the Knights (16-5-6).
The Chargers have allowed only one goal during their playoff run.
Also In Division 1:
Santa Margarita 1, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City 1 (Santa Margarita advances on PKs, 4-3): The Eagles (14-3-3) won their second consecutive game in penalty kicks when goalie Christina Kosmala blocked the Wolverines’ final shot attempt. Maggie Ghotbi scored Santa Margarita’s goal in regulation.
In Division 3:
Oaks Christian of Westlake Village 1, Cypress 0: Brooke Riddle recorded seven saves, but a second-half goal by the Lions (16-4-4) ended the season for the Centurions (17-6-5).
In Division 5:
St. Margaret’s 1, San Marino 0: Given a second playoff life, the Tartans (12-10-5) advanced to the final as Hillary Beall posted 17 saves and Grace Chalmers scored their only goal.
In Division 6:
Citrus Valley of Redlands 1, Segerstrom 0 (2OT): The visiting Jaguars (19-2-3) survived an early barrage of shots on goal and forced overtime, but the Blackhawks (26-3-1) earned their third consecutive trip to the finals with a goal by junior midfielder Ashlee Smith in the 93rd minute.
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
