The halftime message from Troy’s girls soccer coach Ed Kephart was simple – find a way to get it done.

Playing in their second match of the day, the No. 9 Warriors broke a scoreless tie with the game’s lone goal midway through the second half and held on to defeat Marina, 1-0, in group play of the North Orange County Classic on Monday at Cypress College.

The victory, combined with the Warriors’ early win against Irvine, 5-1, helped Troy (8-1-1) advance from its three-team group. The Warriors face Peninsula on Tuesday in a main-bracket elimination match.

Marina (2-5-2) played to a 2-2 tie against Irvine in its morning match, and ended group play in third place. The Vikings play Pacifica in Tuesday’s consolation play.

“In tournaments like this, you have to figure out a way to get it done,” Kephart said. “It usually comes down to a set piece and it did today.”

Troy’s attacks begin picking up in the second half, and it wasn’t long before the Warriors earned a corner kick from the right side. Lorin Wathen sent the ball into the box, where Lauren Mellano leaped and headed the ball in for the go-ahead and eventual winning goal. Mellano was subbed into the game before Wathen took the kick, and the last words Kephart said to her were “get your head on the ball.”

It proved prophetic, and it brought a sense of relief to a tired Troy team. The team’s first match was at 11:30 a.m. and the second began at 2 p.m. It left Troy with an hour’s rest between.

“That’s what, about 140 minutes,” Kephart said. “That’s a long day. It’s a good sign that we had that energy. I was happy with the starting group.”

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