Mariella Saldana scored off an assist from Brianna Anaya in the 84th minute to lift Blanchet Catholic to a 3-2 win over visiting Western Christian in a 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 girls soccer playoff match Tuesday.
With the win, Blanchet Catholic advances to the district championship game against first-place Yamhill-Carlton on Saturday at Dayton High School.
Blanchet Catholic (11-1-3) and Western Christian (10-4-2), who played to 1-1 ties in league matches Sept. 13 and Oct. 8, battled to a 2-2 draw through 80 minutes.
But four minutes into overtime, Saldana ripped the game-winning shot from just outside the top of the 18-yard box. Saldana tried to work a give-and-go with Anaya but was triple-teamed, so she cut the ball to her left and booted it with her left foot, sending it into the upper left corner of the goal.
“The game came down to one shot, and Blanchet got it,” Western Christian coach Steve Elmore said. “It was a well-deserved win for Blanchet.”
Cavaliers coach Tina Pearson praised her team’s effort.
“Our girls played the hardest game so far this season,” Pearson said. “It was fun to watch them give everything they had to win this game for themselves, the team and our school.”
It was the second year in a row that Blanchet Catholic has defeated the Pioneers in overtime in the district playoffs. Last year, the Cavaliers won 1-0 in the district final.
In Tuesday’s match, Blanchet took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when Saldana converted an assist from Mildred Lopez. The Cavaliers made it 2-0 in the 57th minute on a goal by Anaya.
But Western Christian fought back, getting goals from Leah Quesada in the 66th minute and Annika Hess in the 72nd minute to pull into a 2-2 tie.
Blanchet Catholic and Western Christian are fifth and eighth, respectively, in the OSAA power rankings.
