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IRVINE – League play is still a week away, but all the intensity of a powerhouse Sunset League was on display in the quarterfinals of the Excalibur Tournament on Wednesday.

Fourth-ranked Los Alamitos scored on a first-half corner kick and held off a late frenzy from No. 8 Huntington Beach to win the match-up of league rivals, 1-0, and advance to the Excalibur championship semifinals at the Orange County Great Park.

Fellow Sunset League title-contender Edison also made the quarterfinals, but fell to Temecula Valley, 1-0.

“It showed the strength of the league to see that one side of the bracket had Edison, Huntington Beach and Los Al,” Los Alamitos assistant coach Mossy Kennedy said. “I would have preferred if at least one of us had been on the other side of the bracket. I think it’s an indication of how strong the league is, but we knew that.”

Los Alamitos got the advantage it needed over Huntington Beach (10-3-3) in the 26th minute.

Ally LaCarra Platt sent a corner from the left side high into the box. Neither team put the ball down clean, but Jayden Newkirk found the ball off the second rebound and put it through for the goal.

“We kind of gave away 10 minutes where they took the advantage,” Huntington Beach coach Raul Ruiz said. “When we gave the corner kick, that physicality inside the box to try and win that second rebound that’s what they did.”

The Oilers made second-half adjustments and had a ferocious push in the game’s final minutes. Los Alamitos’ back line turned away each chance to preserve the victory.

Los Alamitos (13-1-2), the lone county team remaining in the championship bracket, plays Temecula Valley in the semifinals today at 12:30 p.m.

The Griffins and had to battle for every inch in both of the day’s matches, including their second-round win over Mater Dei, 2-0.

“We’re learning that we can withstand pressure because the second half of the Mater Dei game was really physical as well,” Kennedy said. “So twice in one day was a significant test for us, and we like how we got out of the test.”

In other Excalibur Tournament games:

Redondo Union 2, Rosary 0: Redondo Union got a goal in each half to beat the Royals in the quarterfinals. Rosary beat host Foothill in the second round, 2-0.

Temecula Valley 2, No. 1 Santa Margarita 0: After a first-round bye, the top-ranked Eagles looked out-of-sync with a depleted roster in their first loss of the season. Temecula Valley scored twice in the second half for the win.

In the North Orange County Classic: No. 2 Aliso Niguel shutout Upland, 1-0, and No. 5 JSerra beat Santiago of Corona on penalty kicks, 1-1 (3-0), to advance to the blue division semifinals.

No. 9 Sunny Hills got the win over Fountain Valley, 1-0, to move on to the white division semifinals.

The championships will be played Thursday at La Mirada High with the blue title game at 3 p.m. and the white division game at 5 p.m.