IRVINE – Cherrie Cox and Lana Gilligan make a great pair for the West Torrance girls soccer team.

Cox and Gilligan each scored two goals while Cox had two assists to lead the Warriors to a 5-0 victory over host Portola in the CIF-SS Division 3 semifinals on Wednesday night.

West Torrance (19-3-2) will host El Segundo in the championship game Saturday.

“I think the chemistry has been building since the beginning of CIF and it definitely shows,” Gilligan said. “Every player on the field and on the bench has really gone all in and are really excited to work together. We have been doing great as a team.”

Cherrie Cox scored the first goal of the game at the 13-minute mark. It was one of four goals she was involved in.

Portola (14-4-6), which was playing in the girls soccer playoffs for the first time, couldn’t make an offensive attack for a score thanks to the Warriors’ strong defense.

The Bulldogs, who had only eight shots on goal, will continue their season next week in the CIF SoCal Regional playoffs.

“Overall we had a great season,” Portola coach Jeralyn Newton said. “We have so much to celebrate and so much to be proud of. I think they (West Torrance) were the better team tonight. All power to them, they did play well. We didn’t take shots. We had a hard time trying to find those opportunities.

“It wasn’t our night, but this season was a huge win for us. We made history in a lot of ways and we have so much to celebrate.”

Gilligan added the second goal with Cox on the assist in the 22nd minute.

After Cox added her second goal of the game with Makena Irvine on the assist at the 48th minute, Gilligan followed with her second goal of the game with Cox assisting again at the 53rd minute.

“Lana needed that first goal,” West Torrance coach Jessica Youngdale said. “She’s been working her tail off. She hasn’t had the stats to show for it during CIF and she was the offensive player of the year in the Pioneer League. She works hard and goals are happening because of her. She got the first one that she needed and she kept rolling from there.”

Alissa Chang added the fifth and final goal of the game for the Warriors at the 74th minute with Isabel Reynolds assisting.

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This will be the second time West Torrance and El Segundo will meet this season. The Warriors beat El Segundo 2-1 on Jan. 21.

“We played them before and beat them,” Cox said. “It was a close game, so I think everyone is going to have to step up. It’s going to be a good game.”