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Locked in a 1-1 draw during the second half of its Washington Catholic Athletic Association boys' soccer semifinal on Friday, a stubborn Bishop McNamara side found itself hanging tough with 19-2 DeMatha.

Then, in one sequence of skill, class and composure, the Stags showed why they had earned that record and the WCAC's No. 1 seed. Stags' midfielder James Rice ran on to Tobe Iguade's through ball down the left flank and swung a far post cross to the feet of Cody Albrecht. The junior midfielder cut inside, spotted Lester Hayes' goal-crashing run and fed the tall striker, whose point-blank blast found the roof of the net.

"Cody made a perfect run through and just slotted it back," Hayes said. "All I had to do was put the finishing touches on it."

The goal turned out to be the game-winner as DeMatha hung on for the 2-1 victory at Trinity Washington University in The District, booking its ticket to the WCAC final and ending McNamara's season. The Stags will play Gonzaga (D.C.) for the conference title at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown.

The win was DeMatha's third of the season against the Mustangs after previously bettering McNamara 1-0 in September and 4-0 on the same field just 16 days earlier.

"I couldn't be prouder," said McNamara coach Bob Nolte, whose team finished 10-9-5 to earn its first winning record in his seven seasons at the school. "They were up against a very tough DeMatha squad, but they never backed down."

DeMatha didn't take long to find an easy rhythm, testing the McNamara defense with wave after wave of attack. McNamara goalkeeper be Jeff Meekins made several key saves in the first half, including one on a near-post bid by Hayes in the 14th minute and another on an Albrecht volley two minutes later.

Meekins, however, couldn't get his hands on Nick Haley's scorcher in the 32nd minute. The outside midfielder dribbled down the right side and looked to cross before taking a rip at goal from a difficult angle. The shot blew past Howard and found the far upper corner, putting DeMatha ahead 1-0.

McNamara answered 1 minute before the break. Mustangs' forward Nik Holder ran on to a bouncing ball at the top of the penalty area and launched a rising shot past DeMatha goalkeeper Joe Sullivan. It was the Mustangs' only shot of the half and their first goal against the Stags in 199 minutes this season.

Offside violations broke up numerous DeMatha forays throughout the afternoon, including three to start the second half. But the assistant referee kept his flag down as Hayes' close-range strike put the Stags ahead 2-1 in the 55th minute.

Tension rose and tempers flared as DeMatha tried to hang on for the final 25 minutes. McNamara center back Mayowa Alli, who largely held the Stags' offense in check, and Hayes both received yellow cards following one heated encounter. Iguade then picked up a caution of his own for kicking the ball away after a whistle.

Trailing by a goal, McNamara still struggled to produce much offensive momentum. Late in the game, DeMatha stoutly defended a pair of McNamara corner kicks to clinch the win and passage to the WCAC title game.

"We had to work harder than we've worked all season," said DeMatha coach Dafydd Evans. "It was important that we stayed focus and stayed with our game plan."

Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly identified the McNamara goalkeeper. His name is Jeff Meekins.