In the past two years, the San Pedro High girls soccer team would be put through a ringer whenever they hosted Carson in a rare night game at the Pirate Stadium to squeak out a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

A year ago, it took an early goal by Jenna Potts along with strong defensive play to hold off the gritty Colts in a win that would seal up their seventh straight Marine League championship. Two years ago, it would take a dramatic goal in the final seconds by Julissa Castaneda to get the job done in another wild victory for San Pedro.

It would not be so dramatic and tense this time around.

Behind three goals in the second half from freshman midfielder Ashley Lopez, senior midfielder Lauren Mayeda and senior forward Joanna Perone, San Pedro would make sure there would be no major scare in an emphatic 4-0 Marine League victory over visiting Carson to keep the Pirates on course for an eighth straight league title, currently tied for first with rival Narbonne of Harbor City.

Lopez would score twice to power San Pedro (6-7-2 overall, 3-0-1 league), who had a 1-1 tie with Narbonne last week, and will have a critical week in store next week with a home game against Banning of Wilmington on Wednesday, and a rematch with the Gauchos next Friday at Narbonne High.

In the first half, it was nip-and-tuck most of the time, but Lopez would give San Pedro a 1-0 lead when she slid in from the backdoor to score off a cross pass from Mayeda in the 24th minute, Carson (5-5, 2-2) hung tough until one mistake in the box during the 61st minute would lead to a penalty kick.

Mayeda would calmly blast in the penalty kick that would jump-start the Pirates onto their eventual second-half scoring outburst.

First, Lopez blasted in a one-timer shot off a great cross pass by sophomore forward Danielle Nunez for a 3-0 San Pedro edge in the 67th minute, and finally Perone would score an unassisted goal in the 74th minute to polish off the victory for the Pirates.

Freshman goalie Taylor Miller had three saves for San Pedro, who has won 27 games in a row over the Colts.