A CIF championship is only one game away for the varsity girls soccer team, who won in the semi-finals Wednesday. The Mustangs beat the Mission Bay Buccaneers at home 3-0 in a game that at first seemed even, but quickly became a shutout in the second half.

The scoreboard stayed quiet until halftime, with both teams flowing back and forth but never quite making it to scoring.

This all changed in when junior Jenna Templin scored just three minutes into the second half.

“We really picked it up after Jenna Templin scored just a fantastic goal,” said junior goalie Makena Garvey, who blocked several shots during the game.

Sophomore Julia Lucero increased the lead with a second score 16 minutes into the half.

“When I scored my goal, I was extremely happy and overjoyed because I realized that it had put my team in a very good position for winning the game overall,” she said. “When my teammates came up to me, I realized how proud they were for a team effort goal.”

As the clock ticked closer to zero, the Buccaneers appeared to step up their energy, with more time spent on the Mustangs’ side of the field. However, a score by sophomore Yari Sequeira sealed the win with two minutes left on the clock.

“We played extremely hard and we have put in so much effort up to this point that it really showed today on the field,” said Lucero.

“Going into Saturday’s game, we know we have to put in a lot of effort and play the best game that we can,” she continued. “We are hoping to win and move onto regionals.”

San Dieguito Academy will play at Montgomery High School in the CIF finals Saturday.