From the time San Pedro High girls soccer started their program in 1987, they would be a regular visitor in either the semifinals of the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I playoffs, or in the championship game itself, but it hasn't been that way in the last four years, losing in the first round in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Surviving and advancing is the name of the playoffs, and the host Pirates did a good job of that against visiting Roosevelt of Los Angeles in this Division I first round game.

With the score tied in the 53rd minute, sophomore forward Ryann Lozano would re-direct junior midfielder Heather Carlton's shot past Roosevelt junior goalie Vanessa De La Cruz for the go-ahead goal, then in the 78th minute, freshman forward Mia Leccese would finish it off with a goal to power the fourth-seeded Pirates to a 3-1 victory over No.13 Roosevelt to move on the the quarterfinals for the first time in three years.

"It's a big accomplishment for us," San Pedro sophomore defender Maddy Luna said. "We know the slump we've been in for the last couple of years with not being able to make it out of the first round. We just went all out there deeply wanting it and striving for the victory."

That's exactly the mentality San Pedro (18-6-4 overall) needs in next Friday's CIF-LACS Division I quarterfinal against No.5 Taft of Woodland Hills, a team the Pirates have faced twice this season in both the Pirate Cup and Valley Invitational Tournaments. Both teams have a victory against each other.

Roosevelt (11-6-4) nearly scored first when sophomore forward Lizzbeth Aguilar beat San Pedro freshman goalie Carlene Luna and got her out of position when she made the diving stop, but in came junior defender Paige Kielbasa to save the day for the Pirates by clearing the ball.

"When I first saw the ball go over my teammate's head and drop down in front of the Roosevelt player, my first instinct was to just send it up the field to prevent them from scoring," Kielbasa said.

The Pirates would eventually draw first blood when Lozano scored the first of two goals off a perfectly placed free kick to the left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

"I was determined to get the ball in the net," said Lozano, who has 24 goals this season. "I wanted our team to come out strong and get ahead early."

Not surprisingly, the Roughriders would battle back and tie the score at 1-1 when senior forward Crystal Gonzalez created a rush and tapped in a shot past the charging Carlene Luna in the 35th minute. Suddenly, the Pirates were feeling a little wary of past first round problems, especially stemming from last year's 1-1 tie with Bell that ended up as a loss via the penalty kick shootout.

Once the second half started, San Pedro became the aggressor and made their shots count when it mattered.

Junior defender Lauren Antonelos delivered a great throw-in, the ball somehow ended up back to Kielbasa, who booted a great pass towards Carlton. De La Cruz charged at Carlton, who then flicked the shot over her head at the middle of the box, then Lozano delivered a slight headbutt to the ball into the net for the 2-1 San Pedro advantage.

"I could tell the goalie was going to come out and try to block Heather's shot," Lozano said. "So as it deflected, I had already started to make my run to follow through and secure the goal for our team."

Carlene Luna made seven saves in the victory for San Pedro but was hardly tested thoroughly in the second half. but she, and the Pirates would breathe easier when Leccese blasted in her goal in the closing moments of this competitive contest, and now, the Pirates can focus on Taft, who beat San Pedro, 2-1 in the Valley Invitational on January 9 in their previous meeting.

However, San Pedro owns a 5-3 victory over the Toreadors in their own Pirate Cup Tournament on December 29.

"We know our competition," Maddy Luna said. "We've played them multiple times and they play a strong game. We just have to go in wanting to win, and wanting it more than they do. We must be focused on the task at hand but also setting our sights on the City title."

Also in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section girls soccer playoffs...

Port Of Los Angeles began their quest for a Division IV championship as the top seed of the playoffs, by throttling No.16 Animo De La Hoya, 12-0 at the San Pedro Field Of Dreams. Freshman forward Briana Mancilla would continue her magnificent year with a hat trick, putting her at 30 goals for the season.

Sophomores Kamryn Cardoza and Celina Campbell also scored twice, while the other five goals were by seniors Tiffany Torres and Ariella Martinez, sophomores Shawnie Carolla and Anna Vidovich, and junior Maddi Pepper.

POLA (20-2-3) will face No.8 Mendez of Los Angeles at home next Friday in the quarterfinals.