By John Sherrard, Correspondent

WHITTIER – The Bishop Amat and La Serna high school girls soccer teams have taken similar roads recently in the CIF-Southern Section postseason.

Both were CIF-SS runner-ups last season and each have won a championship in different divisions.

Bishop Amat (5-2-1), however, got the upper hand Thursday with a late goal to pull out a 1-0 win over host La Serna in a nonleague game.

“The girls stepped it up (Thursday) and defensively we played really well,” Bishop Amat coach Ruben Gonzalez said.

“Neither of these teams deserved to lose, but we’ll take the win.”

With less than six minutes remaining, Amat senior defender Demi Lomeli took a corner kick from senior midfielder Yazmin Montoya and knocked the ball in with her shin, just two yards in front of the far post for the game’s lone goal in the 74th minute.

Prior to the goal, Montoya took a corner from the same spot but the La Serna defense knocked the ball away.

“I was hoping it (ball) would come back, because I knew there was open space in the back,” Lomeli said, who scored her first goal of the season. “She (Montoya) crossed it and I thought it was coming in slow motion toward me. I was just sprinting in, hoping I could get anything since it was a tough game and I just threw myself and my left leg hit it.”