It took 103 minutes for a goal to be scored in the Class 3A St. Ignatius regional final. When it finally happened, it turned out to be a thing of beauty for Oak Park-River Forest.

Thanks to three seniors.

Emily Gullo passed the ball to Sara McCall on the right side. McCall took it and sent a cross in front of the net to Shelby Cozette, who used her left foot to kick the ball inside the right post. St. Ignatius goalkeeper Nora Benson got a piece of the ball, but not enough of it as Cozette’s shot continued into the net, giving the Huskies 1-0 victory over the host Friday in Chicago.

“Sara got a nice cross through the middle,” Cozette said. “Me and Alex Hammond, the two forwards, were ready for it. Honestly, I was just trying to get it on goal.”

“Sara made the run and had the open slot,” Gullo said. “And she made a good crossover to Shelby. It was just good soccer.”

The play happened quickly, but when McCall received the ball about 15 yards from the net she showed patience – perhaps too much, according to her -- to make the extra pass that produced the game-winner.

“I should have shot it,” McCall said with amusement. “That’s what should’ve happened. My coach said, “If that wasn’t a goal I was going to yell at you because you didn’t shoot it.’ I don’t shoot because I can’t, so I passed it. That was a team effort.”

Second-seeded OPRF (12-5-2) figured it was in for battle against No. 7 seed St. Ignatius (12-10-3). Back on April 16 in the Pepsi Showdown, OPRF edged the Wolfpack 1-0 on a second-half goal by freshman Tess Trinka at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.

“Last time we played them the field conditions where pretty tough,” Cozette said. “It was a rainy, wet day, and really windy on a small field, so we kind of knew that even though we beat them the first time, it wasn’t necessarily representative of how good they are as a team. We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in.”

“It’s almost like a rivalry for us,” OPRF coach Paul Wright said. “It’s comparable to a Fenwick game. We knew it was going to be tough and physical.”

A rugged first half saw St. Ignatius work itself into a handful of scoring opportunities, but the Wolfpack put only one shot on goal. In the 16th minute, a long ball was headed by Noreen Walsh 10 yards from the net, but OPRF goalkeeper Darcy Hargadon made the save.

Five minutes later, the Huskies saw their best chance to score in the first half. Hammond got the best of a crash with Benson and got the ball by her, but St. Ignatius’ Allison Jeffirs booted the ball away before it crossed the goal line.

OPRF tilted the action in its favor in the second half where it put eight shots on goal to St. Ignatius’ two.

The Wolfpack’s only serious chance in the second half came in the 47th minute. Julie Govedarica had the ball in front of the net, but elected to pass to Walsh. The connection never materialized and the ball trickled to Hargadon.

OPRF’s best opportunity in the second half occurred in the 59th minute. Cozette took a bouncing ball 15 yards in front of the net and fired off a shot, but a charging Benson made the save at point-blank range.

As the match continued into multiple overtimes, Wright was confident his team would eventually score.

“I felt the second half we really dominated,” he said. “I felt pretty good going into overtime. We had four or five just missing that finishing touch, and finally we got one where they were getting a little exhausted, we had numbers up in the box and we were able to get one by them.”

“We had a lot of opportunities though,” Cozette said. “We just had a tough time finishing today.”

“We all knew we could beat this team,” Gullo said. “We did it before and we know we’re clearly a better team, but just somehow it took a little bit longer for it to happen. It happened in triple overtime. A win is a win. I’m glad we won. It always makes you happy to win a regional championship for your school. Now we’ve got to stay focused for the next game.”

With their eighth regional title in nine years, the Huskies advance to the York sectional. They’ll play either York or Hinsdale South in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“I feel really confident,” McCall said. “We’re really starting to mesh. It’s one thing to say we have to execute. It’s another thing to say that and then be able to do that. I feel like we’re starting to walk the walk. You know, not just say, let’s go do it, but actually being able to put our words into action.”