The Mission Bay boys soccer team defeated Gompers Preparatory Academy 3-1 on Tuesday night to earn a trip to the CIF Div. IV final on Thursday evening where it will take on Mater Dei.

The Bucs opened up the scoring courtesy of a beautiful goal by senior Dane Peaslee, which was followed up by another from teammate Soren Bengston before Gompers was able to cut the lead in half right after halftime.

Mission Bay put the game away in the second half thanks to a timely score from Spencer Morton in combination with another standout effort by goalkeeper Nick Herschman.

“It was another great team performance with contributions from a variety of guys,” said head coach Joe Panian. “I thought their intensity at winning the midfield was key to the game. They prepared well for it and had the mentality to execute, so I was very pleased with how everything turned out.”

The Bucs are on a historic run this season having yet to suffer a defeat all while going 18-0-1 overall with the only draw coming on the road versus Canyon Hills on Dec. 6.

Mater Dei punched its ticket to the championship after a dominating 4-0 win over Granite Hills in the semifinals and comes in with an 11-4-2 record overall and having won seven of its last eight games including five in a row.

Mission Bay has outscored its opponents 69-13 combined during the regular season and playoffs including nine shutouts. The team’s most lopsided performance came on Jan. 17 in a

9-0 victory over Christian and closed out the regular season in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 nail-biter against Madison.

Mission Bay and Mater Dei did not meet this season with Thursday’s final to be played at Madison High School since, by rule, it must take place in a neutral site. The Bucs are looking for their first championship since the 1998-99 season, which was the first year that Panian was head coach.