San Clemente rallies to beat Mater Dei

Down by two at halftime to the defending CIF champions, the San Clemente girls soccer team reaffirmed its commitment to hard work and togetherness to produce a stirring comeback victory.

Junior Kelsey Wilson capped an improbable rally by scoring the winning goal with five minutes remaining in regulation — one of the Tritons' three second-half goals — to stun Mater Dei, 3-2, in the CIF-SS Division I semifinals Tuesday at Mater Dei High.

“It is the best feeling in the world,” Wilson said. “This win is an example of the determination and character of our team.”

The Tritons (22-3-5) will face Long Beach Wilson in the CIF-SS Division I championship game Saturday.

“We were a bit unorganized and not using our strongest assests early in the game,” said Tritons coach Stacey Finnerty. “In the second half, everyone worked together and fought hard.”

The Monarchs (14-4-9) controlled the first half, as their offense repeatedly found openings in the Tritons defense and put pressure in the attacking third. Mater Dei finally capitalized on a quality chance midway through the half, when senior midfielder Justyne Freud beat goalkeeper Hannah Turpen to a loose ball and made it 1-0.

Less than five minutes later, Freud dribbled through an opening in the Tritons defense and hit a low shot that slipped past Turpen and into the left corner, increasing the lead to 2-0.

However, the Tritons answered early in the second half when freshman midfielder Frannie Coxe slipped a shot past Monarchs goalkeeper Darien Vercillo, cutting the lead to 2-1.

The Monarchs defense repeatedly repelled challenges from the Tritons throughout the second half.

But in the 74th minute, the Tritons tied the game on a spectacular shot from sophomore forward Shelby Garcia, who managed to switch the ball to her right side under heavy pressure, and hit a high, twisting floater over the head of Vercillo and into the net.

Two minutes later, Garcia sent Wilson a feed to the left corner of the box, where she uncorked high arching shot that just managed to elude the fingertips of Vercillo, capping the Tritons' comeback.

In a Division VI semifinal:

Calvary Murrieta 3, St. Margaret's 0: Amanda Lammers, Sara Stousta and Ashley Broadmann tallied goals as the Warriors (23-2-1) defeated the Tartans (16-8-2) at Mt. San Jacinto College in Menifee.

Contact the writer: jeichelberger@ocregister.com