Old Lyme — Old Lyme coach Marc Vendetti never knew there could be so much growth in a player in just a couple of months.

It was at the beginning of this season that Vendetti asked senior forward Nate Peduzzi to step away from the team for a few days and think about things. About his commitment to the Old Lyme High School boys' soccer team. About the role he was willing to play.

“I have the utmost respect for him. He did everything we asked him. He's done a tremendous job growing as a player and as a person,” Vendetti said. “He gives us so many options with his presence and his physicality. He allows us to play with only one up top.”

It is what Vendetti calls a “tremendous back-story” for Peduzzi.

And his Tuesday afternoon wasn't too bad either.

Peduzzi scored both goals in second-seeded Old Lyme's 2-0 victory over No. 3 Old Saybrook in the Shoreline Conference tournament semifinals, giving the Wildcats a berth in Friday's championship game (5 p.m., Portland High School). Old Lyme (13-1-3) will play either No. 1 Morgan, a 2-0 winner over No. 4 Cromwell.

“I'd have to say the second,” said Peduzzi with a smile, asked which of his goals was more important against Old Saybrook. "It was a little more high-tension 'cause it was only 1-0.”

Peduzzi's first goal came just 6 minutes, 42 seconds into the first half, as he tapped the ball past Old Saybrook goalie Luke Sumby with the outside of his right foot.

The tension, as Peduzzi said, then built as Old Saybrook tried to rally for the tie, with the Rams coming out strong with a corner kick in the opening moments of the second half that was cleared by Old Lyme defender Danny Reid.

Peduzzi scored his second goal with 8:49 left in the game. Will Ferguson sent a ball into the penalty area and a scramble ensued in the front of the goal between Sumby, Ferguson and Peduzzi, with Peduzzi able to knock the ball in.

It was the fifth goal in two games for Peduzzi against Old Saybrook. Goalie Cam Dean-Frazier finished with four saves.

Old Lyme played Old Saybrook to a scoreless tie in the teams' first meeting on Sept. 26 and won 4-1 Oct. 22.

Vendetti said he took his team to train indoors for two days last week at Montville's Wide World of Indoor Sports, which has a fast surface and more confined spacing than outdoors, trying to get his team to play quicker.

“Be quick, be efficient, not give (Old Saybrook) that time and space,” Vendetti said. “We pressed them a bit.”

It was the eighth straight win for Old Lyme, which lost its only game of the season to East Lyme on Oct. 3. The Wildcats have only given up four goals all year in Shoreline Conference play, seven overall. The three ties all came within the first six games of the year and were all scoreless.

Old Lyme lost to Cromwell in last year's Shoreline final, 2-1 in overtime, and this group of seniors, including Peduzzi, has never won the league title.

“That hurt, that stung,” Vendetti said of last year's loss.

Said Peduzzi: “We're definitely looking forward to Friday.”

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Twitter: @vickieattheday