SUMNER -- The opportunity for the Highland Scotties to pull off the feat that brands any team as a dynasty -- a three-peat -- is still alive.

Jesus Silva scored the only goal the Scotties needed on Friday to edge SCAC rival Connell 1-0 in the Class 1A state soccer semifinals at Sumner's Sunset Chev Stadium, moving them into today's 5 p.m. championship match against King's in what will be a rematch of the 2007 state final.

It will also give them a chance to become the first 1A team to win three years in a row, a feat accomplished by only three other Washington soccer teams in any classification.

"I'm as surprised as anybody that we're still in it," Scotties coach Rick Hill said.

"Here we're the second-place team out of the SCAC, everybody wrote us off, but we're in the state championship again. I'm excited. Pretty impressive for a team to go three years in a row. We've overcome a lot of adversity, we're not very deep but these guys continue to play hard."

The Scotties (17-5) certainly weren't expected to make another title run after losing all but five players from last year's championship team. But two of those five -- Silva and goaltender Alvaro Salcedo -- stepped up big on Friday.

In the 24th minute, Highland forward Juan Aguilar gained control of a loose ball about 25 yards out on the offensive end and headed the ball to Silva, who took two or three touches and then hammered it into the net. That early goal paid dividends for Highland, which was able to pull back from the offensive end and stack defenders like cordwood in front of their goal.

"We got a lucky goal," Hill said. "That's what we were playing for. We were going to attack with three guys, maybe less than that.

"They took Connell's offense out of it."

So, too, did Salcedo, who made a handful of sensational, last-second saves of shots that seemed destined to find the back of the net.

"They pounded us. They came at us with everything they had," Hill said, adding about Salcedo, "The stops he's had this year are just amazing to me."

In addition to putting the Scotties into the championship game, Friday's victory gave them SCAC bragging rights over Connell, after the two split two games earlier in the year. Highland beat the Eagles 2-1 in the season opener and lost 4-1 a month later. Connell's only two losses in a 19-2 season came against Highland.

King's (17-6) topped White Salmon 2-1 in Friday's other semifinal.