Mt. Carmel knocks off San Marcos in shootout to triumph in CIF-San Diego Section Open Division girls soccer final

Ellery Muren produced the deciding sudden-death penalty shot for No. 7 Mt. Carmel and Nina Hinchman saved a shot by San Marcos sophomore Miya Kumasaka in the sixth round of the shootout to secure a 5-4 girls soccer victory on penalty kicks against the No. 4 Knights after the teams played to a 0-0 result through regulation and overtime Feb. 28 in the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division championship match at Chick Embrey Field at Wilson Stadium on the campus of Escondido High.

Mt. Carmel captured the first Open Division crown in program history and won its first section title since securing the Division 2 championship in 2020.

San Marcos, which defeated Mt. Carmel in a pair of Palomar League showdowns, was pursuing back-to-back Open Division titles.

The Knights had secured seven consecutive victories against Mt. Carmel, which earned its first win against San Marcos since 2010.