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Damian Calhoun. Sports Newsroom Assistant.

// MORE INFORMATION: Associate Mug Shot taken August 24, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

IRVINE – The Corona del Mar boys lacrosse team hasn’t been in many close games this season, but Saturday was exactly that, with the outcome undecided until late in the fourth period.

CdM had a two-goal lead in the second quarter of Saturday’s U.S. Lacrosse Orange County semifinal, then the lead was gone midway through the third period. But down the stretch, the Sea Kings finally were able to make right moves to hold off fourth-seeded Santa Margarita, 8-6, at Irvine High.

CdM (19-1) will face St. Margaret’s in the O.C. final on Wednesday at Trabuco Hills HS at 7:15 p.m.

“We had some kids make some big plays at the end,” CdM coach G.W. Mix said. “I thought that Nick Guizan did an incredible job in goal all day long and that makes a big difference. Their face-off guy (Chase Lynch) did a nice job and made it a fight for Jason (Simaan), so that gave them more possessions than we’re used to the other teams having and we had to fight through some of that.”

CdM’s narrowest victory this season before Saturday was an 8-7 victory over St. Margaret’s, Mar. 29. Its only loss was a 9-8 defeat to Torrey Pines in April.

The Eagles kept the pressure on the Sea Kings in the second half. Late in the second period, Logan Dochterman scored an unassisted goal and Shane Cobb followed with a goal in the third to tie game at 5-5. With 4:40 left in the third, CdM‘s Will Favreau ripped a low shot into the net for the eventual winner.

“Their kids played hard; they’re a good team and they’re well-coached,” Mix said of Santa Margarita. “We were pushed because they’re good.”

With CdM leading 7-5, Cobb got Santa Margarita closer with his goal with 6:57 left in the game.

Five minutes later, Stephen Von der Ahe put the game away taking the feed from Jordan Greenhall for a goal with 1:58 left.

Greenhall was a welcomed sight back on the field for CdM. The senior sat out the first two rounds, but returned with a two-goal, one-assist game.

Stephen Von der Ahe led CdM with four goals.

“It was a great team win,” Greenhall said. “I think it was a microcosm of the whole season. At the start of the game, it was tough, nothing was going our way, but we were able to play through it and we just sort of outworked the other team toward the end of the game.”

In the other semifinal:

St. Margaret’s 11, Foothill 8: Nick Shanks keyed the third-seeded Tartans’ (12-7) attack with five goals, four in the first half to lead the defending champions back to the final.

Foothill trailed from the 7:27 mark of the second period. St. Margaret’s led by four goals on two separate occasions in the second half. Foothill got within 10-8 on a goal from Nathan Oberly with 4:28 remaining.

Samuel Harnisch then put the game away with an open-net goal with 40 seconds remaining.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com