Girls’ Soccer

Mater Dei travels to South Torrance in the Division II girls’ soccer playoffs in what should be the best matchup of the day.

South Torrance (26-0-4) has 28 shutouts this season behind junior goalkeeper Emily Koch, with a streak of 18 consecutive on the line. The Spartans have defeated their playoff opponents, 1-0, in each game. Sophomore midfielder Cami Boswell leads the team with 24 goals and nine assists this season.

“We aren’t a fast team,” Spartan Coach Jon Kiester said. “We are a defensive team. We are just going to play our style and not make any changes.”

On the other side, fourth-seeded Mater Dei (17-3-3) has outscored its opponents, 11-2, in the playoffs. Junior Alison Fennell is the Monarchs’ leading scorer with 24 goals, including five in the playoffs.

In the other Division II semifinal, defending champion Santa Margarita (14-5-4) will visit Corona Centennial (22-2-2).

Junior forward Sara Henderson is the Eagles’ leading scorer. In goal is senior Erin Regan (11 shutouts), who held off second-seeded West Torrance in the quarterfinals, as Santa Margarita won on penalty kicks, 4-3.

Centennial has been a sleeper this season, finishing second in the Mountain View League. They have outscored their opponents, 8-0, in the playoffs.

Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo represent the county in Division I. The South Coast League rivals are expected to advance to the finals.

Top-seeded Capistrano Valley (24-0-4) will host fourth-seeded Newhall Hart. The Cougars are led by forwards, junior Chandra King and sophomore Lindsey Greco, each with 15 goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Haley Kuhn has 17 shutouts and as a team, the Cougars haven’t allowed a goal in the playoffs, outscoring their opponents, 10-0.

Many county coaches don’t give Hart (21-2-3) a chance, even though the Indians have scored 15 goals in the playoffs.

“I’ve heard Hart has a lot of speed up front,” said Cougar Coach Jack Peterson. “I approach this game the same way I approach playing Mission Viejo, since Mission is our toughest matchup with us speed-wise.”

Third-seeded Mission Viejo (19-3-4) will travel to Simi Valley (20-5-1), which stunned second-seeded Palos Verdes Peninsula, 2-0, in the quarterfinals.

The Diablos, who were moved out of the region, probably faced their toughest game in the second round against Claremont. The high-scoring Diablos are coming off a 4-0 rout of Diamond Bar and are led by junior goalkeeper Hannah Cochrun with 15 shutouts.

In Division III, wild-card winner El Modena (17-9-1), the Century League’s second-place team, will host second-seeded Glendora St. Lucy’s (16-3-4).

St. Lucy’s won the Baseline League championship, a league with four Division I teams, including Claremont and Upland, both top-10 teams. They are led by center midfielder Christina Bell, an Olympic Development Program player.