CARLSBAD – For more than 57 minutes Thursday, the Torrey Pines and La Costa Canyon field hockey teams were locked in a scoreless tie at David K. Rippey Field. As the seconds ticked down in the second half, the Avocado League rivals looked destined to accept the unappealing outcome.

But with 2 minutes, 45 seconds remaining, the Falcons in bounded their twelfth short corner of the game, and attacker Chelsea Yogerst buried the loose ball in the back of the net for the decisive goal in Torrey Pines' 1-0 win.

“They were in our defensive zone a lot today,” LCC head coach Kim Elmore said. “I thought we played well. It's finishing and getting it into the goal that's our problem.”

Indeed, the Mavericks (7-7, 2-3) have been shut out in three of five league games.

The Falcons (16-3, 5-0), on the other hand, are the highest-scoring team in the league, and Thursday's win keeps them securely atop the standings.

“I expected them to be a strong team,” Elmore said of Torrey. “They only lost 1 or 2 seniors from last year's team.”

Elmore's squad is a shell of what it was last year when the Mavericks shared the league title with the Falcons and went on to win their third straight CIF title. LCC graduated 8 seniors from that team.

“It's kind of a rebuilding year for me,” Elmore said. “I have a lot of young kids.”

The Mavericks do have one experienced veteran at a key spot. Goalkeeper Molly Cassidy, who will attend Michigan State on a full scholarship, was nearly flawless Thursday.

The senior had four saves in the match, including a brilliant kick-save with 12 minutes left in the game.

Falcons goalie Ashlee Schlesier, who didn't see much action in the second half, had two saves, as Torrey picked up its 13th shutout of the year.

Torrey Pines was on the attack for most of the second half. The Falcons had eight short corners in the second, compared to just one for LCC.

“It's frustrating because it seems not to happen when you need it,” Elmore said.

The Mavericks will be back in action Tuesday at home against Escondido – a team LCC beat 3-0 in its league opener Oct. 9.