SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO The request from the St. Margaret's boys lacrosse coaching staff to the players was a simple one at halftime Wednesday night.

“We asked our kids to step up and finish,” Tartans coach Gerry Manning said.

The third-seeded Tartans (16-2) did, scoring four consecutive goals late in the match to knock off No. 2 Corona del Mar, 9-5 in the semifinals of the Orange County Championships.

The host Tartans will face top-seeded Foothill in the finals Friday at 7 p.m. Trabuco Hills High.

Mike Kidushim scored for the Sea Kings with 1:56 to go in the third quarter, but from that point on the Tartans were in control.

Hunter Steffien and Connor Edgcomb scored in third quarter and Mark Aghajanian and Dorian Farhang added goals in the fourth quarter.

Farhang and Steffien both scored three goals for the Tartans.

“I think this is the best we've played all year,” Steffien said. “We're coming back together at the right time. That was a great team we just played.”

The teams met March 5 with CdM winning, 6-4. This time, the Sea Kings couldn't get the best of Tartans goalie Jeff Askin, a sophomore who finished with 15 saves.

“It was definitely a team win,” Askin said. “Our midfielders were hustling up and down the field, our attack was working ... our offense was getting going, I just tried to do my part.”

In the other semifinal:

No. 1 Foothill 9, No. 4 JSerra 2: Tyler Brown scored four goals, three in the second quarter, to lead the visiting top-seeded Knights (16-2) to victory at JSerra and back to the county championship match.

Foothill is the defending county and Southern Section champion.

Foothill led, 2-0, after the first quarter, but thanks to Brown, it took a 7-0 lead into halftime.

“My guys set me up in great places,” Brown said.

Riley Hales tallied four points (two goals and two assists) for the Knights.

Defensively, the Knights kept the Lions (14-5) off the scoreboard until the 5:12 mark of the third quarter.

“Defense played really well,” Foothill coach Jon Fox said. “They knew their assignment and they matched well and were winning the ground balls. We didn't give up many quality shots, most of their shots were under pressure.”

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Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com