SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO >> Ella Giannola’s goal with one minute remaining in the second overtime period lifted the Santa Margarita girls soccer team to a 3-2 victory over San Juan Hills in a CIF-SS Division 1 first-round game Saturday at San Juan Hills High School.

The Eagles (11-4-2), second-place finishers in the Trinity League, will take on Etiwanda in a second-round game Wednesday at Santa Margarita High.

Etiwanda defeated Long Beach Poly, 3-0, in their first-round game Saturday.

If the Eagles didn’t score the golden goal, the contest would have been decided by penalty kicks.

“I was dribbling to the goal and I went to go find my teammate,” Giannola, a senior, said. “The defender had tried to kick it out and I kicked it in. I didn’t want it to be my last high school game.”

Santa Margarita’s three goals in its victory over San Juan Hills on Saturday were scored by, from left, Maddie Baker, Ella Giannola and Kendall Memoly. (Photo by Lou Ponsi, Contributor)

The Stallions (13-3-4) came within a minute of winning the game in regulation when Eva Anderson scored on a difficult shot from a wide angle to give the Stallions a 2-1 lead in the 35th minute of the second half.

But Maddie Baker scored for the Eagles with one minute remaining to send the contest to the first 10-minute overtime period.

When neither team scored in the first extra period, the game went to a second overtime.

“For a first-round draw, this was a tough draw for both of us,” Santa Margarita coach Eddie Huerta said. “Both teams were talented. Both teams were physical. The ref called a good game.”

San Juan Hills had numerous chances to score off corner kicks, free kicks and throw-ins in regulation and in both overtime periods.

The Stallions got off shots and came close to scoring several times, and the Eagles did a good job defending against the set pieces on other occasions.

“I was proud of their grit, their tenacity and their desire,” Huerta said. “You can’t coach that.”

The game was scoreless until the 33rd minutes when Maddie Baker scored to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

The goal was set up on a blast from Kendall Memoly that bounced off the cross bar and was controlled by Baker, who shot the ball into the goal.

Santa Margarita clung to the lead until the 25th minute of the second half when Samantha Gugliuzza scored for the Stallions on a ball that had been batted away by the Eagles’ goalkeeper.

Gugliuzza’s goal made the score 1-1, setting up an exciting final five minutes of regulation followed by the overtime periods.

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“We created so many chances but unfortunately, we just didn’t put it away,” San Juan Hills coach Farrel Moore said. “Sometimes soccer can be cruel.”