A big second half lifted three-seed Saint Mary's past TCAL rival Kennedy-Richmond on Tuesday night, 3-0, to propel the Panthers into the North Coast Section Division IV boys soccer title game.
Saint Mary's and Kennedy were scoreless at the half, with Kennedy having swept the season series from the Panthers. But the final 40 minutes were all Saint Mary's, which now advances to face top-seed Cardinal Newman for the section championship.
Cardinal Newman certainly did not have an easy time reaching the final, against fifth-seeded Urban. The underdog Blues had not allowed a goal in playoff wins over Justin-Siena and Marin Catholic, and they kept that streak going through regulation and the first overtime period, as neither team was able to find the back of the net until the Cardinals got the golden goal during the second overtime period.
With the semifinal victories, both Saint Mary's and Cardinal Newman have clinched berths to the CIF NorCal regional championships.
