BIG THRILLL: Mater Dei's Mary Grace Schmidt, right, is embraced by a teammate after Schmidt scored in the first half of a playoff game against Tesoro. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER MORE PHOTOS CIF-SS GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFFS Saturday's scores First Round Division I Aliso Niguel 2, Palos Verdes 1 (sudden death) Harvard-Westlake 3, San Marcos 1 Long Beach Poly 3, St. Lucy’s 2 (2OT) Long Beach Wilson 2, West Torrance 0 Mater Dei 1, Tesoro 1 (Mater Dei advances on penalty kicks, 4-3) Santa Margarita 1, Chino Hills 0 (2OT) Ayala 1, Upland 0 Buena 0, Chaminade 0 (Buena advances on penalty kicks, 4-3) Dos Pueblos 3, Flintridge Sacred Heart 2 El Toro 3, Orange Lutheran 0 Los Alamitos 3, Lakewood 2 (OT) Los Osos 2, Edison 1 Marina 3, Northwood 2 Mira Costa 4, Foothill 2 San Clemente 2, Etiwanda 1 Division II Canyon 1, Valley View 0 (OT) Arcadia 6, Highland 2 Corona Del Mar 1, Brea Olinda 0 Hart 3, Don Lugo 0 Laguna Hills 4, El Dorado 1 Quartz Hill 3, Murrieta Valley 1 Saugus 6, Rialto 0 Temecula Valley 3, Montclair 0 Thousand Oaks 4, Crescenta Valley 0 Walnut 4, Newbury Park 0 Yucaipa 2, Irvine 1 (OT) Agoura 4, South Hills 1 Moorpark 1, Pasadena 0 Redlands 3, Chaffey 2 Redlands East Valley 3, Canyon Springs 1 Vista Murrieta 6, Rancho Verde 0 Division III Chadwick 3, Culver City 1 Costa Mesa 2, Bonita 1 Diamond Ranch 2, Cajon 0 Estancia 1, Beverly Hills 0 La Mirada 2, Norco 0 Mayfair 8, Westridge 0 Pasadena Poly 2, Sunny Hills 1 Riverside Poly 3, San Gorgonio 0 Santa Monica 1, Cypress 0 Troy 3, Corona 0 Arroyo Grande 2, Los Altos 1 Chadwick 3, Culver City 1 Fullerton 7, Colton 0 Garden Grove Pacifica 2, Atascadero 0 La Palma Kennedy 1, King 0 Pasadena Poly 2, Sunny Hills 1 Riverside Poly 3, San Gorgonio 0 San Luis Obispo 1, Arlington 0 Division IV California 2, Lompoc Cabrillo 1 Granite Hills 5, Jurupa Valley 0 Kaiser 3, South Pasadena 0 La Salle 1, La Canada 0 La Serna 4, Hesperia 0 Ocean View 1, Santa Fe 0 Orange 2, Camarillo 1 Oxnard Pacifica 3, Savanna 1 Patriot 4, Hemet 1 Silverado 1, Sultana 0 Bishop Montgomery 3, Palm Springs 1 La Salle 1, La Canada 0 Lakewood St. Joseph 2, La Quinta 0 Paloma Valley 2, Oxnard 0 Santa Ana Valley 1, Santa Maria St. Joseph 0 Santa Ynez 2, San Marino 1 Serrano 2, Cathedral City 0 Division V Bell Gardens 2, Marymount 1 Brentwood 2, Paramount 0 Campbell Hall 1, Cerritos Valley Christian 0 Marlborough 6, Schurr 0 Notre Dame Academy 10, Covina 0 Oak Park 1, Garden Grove 0 Oaks Christian 3, El Segundo 1 Rancho Alamitos 2, Mountain View 0 South Torrance 1, La Reina 0 St. Bonaventure 5, Montebello 0 Beaumont 2, Big Bear 0 Desert Hot Springs 2, San Jacinto 0 Downey 9, Los Amigos 0 Maranatha 9, Yucca Valley 0 San Dimas 2, Village Christian 1 Division VI Alverno 4, Duarte 0 Arrowhead Christian 1, Sierra Vista 0 Bishop 5, New Community Jewish 0 Calvary Murrieta 10, Downey Calvary Chapel 1 CAMS 4, Rolling Hills Prep 3 Lancaster Desert Christian 2, Fillmore 1 Frazier Mountain 9, San Gabriel Mission 1 Grace Brethren 2, Mary Star 1 Sage Hill 6, Saddleback Valley Christian 0 St. Margaret’s 4, Connelly 1 Viewpoint 2, Marshall 0 Animo 3, St. Paul 0 Cate 1, Carpinteria 1 (Cate advances on penalty kicks, 4-3) Ontario Christian 3, Woodcrest Christian 1 Western Christian 3, St. Genevieve 0

Mater Dei survives to keep dream alive

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The Monarchs advance by edging Tesoro in marathon match.

In a game that had the excitement and drama of a championship game, the quest for a second consecutive CIF title is still alive for the Mater Dei girls soccer team.

Ellen Wilson scored the decisive penalty kick as the Monarchs outlasted the Tesoro Titans, 4-3, in penalty kicks, after both teams ended regulation and four overtime periods tied 1-1 in a CIF-SS Division I first-round game Saturday at Mater Dei High.

“I didn't look at the keeper and just prayed that I would make the kick,” said Wilson. “Winning feels great.”

The Monarchs (12-3-9) cracked the scoreboard early in the first half, when sophomore Nicole Depuy sent a beautiful crossing pass to the middle of the field, where junior Mary Grace Schmidt sent a low line drive kick just past diving Titans goalie Emily Lappi to give Mater Dei a 1-0 advantage.

Behind the strong play of forwards Gabby Zarnegar and Bailey Marquez, the Titans (10-10-5) opened the second half aggressively on both ends of the field, attacking the Monarchs defense with quick ball movement and well-timed passes, while their defense forced Mater Dei away from the net. Their strong pressure led a huge break early in the second half, when a loose ball deep in the Titans' attacking third bounced off Schmidt, rolled past Monarchs goalie Darien Vercillo, and found the net for the tying goal.

Both teams then engaged in a tight, physical struggle throughout the rest of regulation time and the overtime periods when they each had scoring opportunities, but were unable to capitalize.

However, Vercillo sparked the Monarchs in the penalty-kick session. With the score tied at three, she made a spectacular diving stop to deny Titans forward Jaclyn Farah. After neither team could convert on their next kick, Wilson's kick eluded the reach of Lappi and found the back of the net, giving the Monarchs the victory.

West acknowledged that his team had to dig deep to pull out the triumph.

“They played with a lot of heart and deserve credit for an exceptional game,” he said. “We were able to hang tough and show a lot of resiliency to win.”

In other Division I first-round games:

Santa Margarita 1, Chino Hills 0 (2OT): Brianna Edwards scored the winner in the second overtime period, as the visiting Eagles (13-2-8) slipped past the Huskies.

Los Alamitos 3, Lakewood 2 (3OT): Katie Suits scored her second goal of the game in the first sudden death overtime period, as the host Griffins (19-5-3) edged the Lancers.

In Division II first-round games:

Corona del Mar 1, Brea Olinda 0: Hayley Raguse scored in the 10th minute to lead the visiting Sea Kings (13-7-3) past the Wildcats (17-4-3).

Canyon 1, Valley View of Moreno Valley 0 (3OT): Elizabeth Brezden scored two minutes into the first sudden-death overtime period to lead the Comanches (16-6-4) past the Eagles at Valley View.

Contact the writer: jeichelberger@ocregister.com