CAMBRIDGE — They’re trailblazers at the threshold of making school history.

The Beaver Local girls’ soccer team, ranked 12th in Div. IV by MaxPreps, inched one step closer to a state tournament berth after eliminating Tusky Valley 3-2 in a Div. IV regional semifinal at Cambridge High School’s McFarland Stadium Tuesday night.

“We knew it was going to be a tight game, like all the games moving forward, and we practiced some situational things the last couple days and at the end of the game they were able to execute,” said Beaver Local head coach Liz Connor.

Beaver Local (18-2), which has never advanced to the state tournament in the sport, will take direct aim at that goal when it plays 15th-ranked Albany Alexander for a regional title and state berth Saturday at noon at Logan High School’s Chieftain Stadium. The winner advances to next weekend’s state tournament. Albany Alexander advanced Tuesday with a 2-1 win over McClain.

“It was an excellent game,” said Tusky Valley head coach Patrick Eddy of the close, defensive-dominated match with the Beavers. “We lost, but we really don’t have anything to be mad about. This is the first time in program history we’ve been this far.”

Tied 2-2 with just 9:04 left on the second-half clock, Beaver Local’s sophomore standout Peyton Dunn rifled a kick from 25 yards out on the left side, and the hard boot bounced off the Tusky Valley goalkeeper and into the net for what turned out to be the game winner.

“I was really wanting to dig deep and get that last (goal) because I didn’t want this season to be over,” smiled Dunn. “I love playing with this team and after I got that goal, I was just like, now I need to defend, we don’t want to get scored on. Our starting center back (Bella Long) was out (injured) and I didn’t want this to be the end of her season.”

“She (Dunn) wants the ball in big moments,” lauded Connor.

Defense once again carried the evening for Beaver Local as the Beavers held a Tusky Valley team averaging 4.2 goals per match to two goals. The Beavers’ junior goalkeeper Tatum Duncan had seven saves on the night.

Here’s a good example of just how strong the Beavers’ defense has been all season: In 20 matches, Beaver Local has only surrendered 20 goals, an average of one goal per match. Beaver Local has out-goaled its opponents 115-20 this fall, which includes posting 13 shutouts.

“We’ve had about 13 shutouts and our defense has come up strong all season long,” said Connor. “We’ve been pushing that we really don’t have a starting lineup and a lot of different people are contributing.”

The Beavers’ defense was successful in holding Tusky Valley’s outstanding senior booter Madelin “Miz” Benner, who is fourth in Ohio (all divisions combined) with 47 goals, to zero goals on the night.

“We had an injury to Bella Long (during the match) and our defense really stepped up,” said Connor. “Sophia Smith moved to center back and played very well in there and Addisyn Shields and Charlee Allison came off the bench and did what they needed to do for us.”

Beaver Local controlled much of the action in the first half and had seven shots on goal to two for the Trojans in the opening 40 minutes.

“We just couldn’t get the shots that we needed,” said Eddy.

The Beavers broke a scoreless tie at the 17:38 mark of the first half when Dunn scored on a penalty kick from 12 yards out for a 1-0 Beaver Local lead.

But the lead didn’t last long as less than two minutes later, the Trojans tied the game. Tusky Valley freshman Emerson Ragon booted the ball in after receiving a corner kick to tie the match at 1-1 with 15:50 showing on the first-half clock. The score remained that way at the break.

Beaver Local regained the lead at 2-1 at the 26:01 juncture of the second half when on a breakaway, Dunn took a pass from teammate Leah Stewart and put in the back of the net.

“We have Leah (Stewart) being able to find her (Dunn) in those moments,” said Connor. “They’ve just stayed focused and continued to play for each other, and moving forward, that’s all we can ask for.”

Tusky Valley answered with 16:40 remaining when Benner sent a long, curving kick from the right side toward the net which was converted for a goal by the Trojans’ Ellie Teter.

It tied the match at 2-2 and set the stage for Dunn’s game-winner which happened seven minutes later, sending the Beavers to their second regional final appearance and first since the 2016 team accomplished that feat.

With the setback, Tusky Valley ends its season at 15-6.

“We bumped up to Division IV and we’ve never made it past the second round of the tournaments in the past, so we were district champions this year and into this (regional) game,” lauded Eddy. “We’re fairly young, we’ve got eight freshmen and a bunch of sophomores, so we’ll be back.”

For the match, Beaver Local had 14 shots on goal to eight for the Trojans. The Beavers also led in corner kicks, 7-6.

Beaver Local will now turn its focus to Saturday’s regional final and what awaits if it wins one more.

“We’ve been there once before (in 2016) and it’s always nerve-wracking sometimes, but I have so much confidence with this team, it’s definitely a joy to watch them play because they have so much fun,” said Connor. “We’re excited to continue in the tournament.”

“That (going to state) has been my goal since the beginning of the season,” said Dunn, who along with her teammates, are now just one win away from reaching that milestone.