Waterford — Waterford put forth a valiant effort, fighting to the finish of the CIAC Class L girls’ soccer tournament quarterfinals.

When the final whistle blew, the second-seeded Lancers had come up painfully short, falling 2-1 in overtime.

Sacred Heart Academy’s Camilla Murphy scored the game-winner late in the first of two 10-minute overtime periods, hitting a long distance blast that found the upper left corner.

Waterford nearly tied the score inside the game’s final minute but goalie Payton D’Errico stopped senior Camryn Dickinson’s close range shot to seal the Lancers’ fate.

“I’m so proud,” Waterford coach Chris Ghiglia said. “It’s a wonderful group of seniors. They wanted this so badly. It’s hard. Sacred Heart is a very athletic team, a very good team. It was a very even game.”

It was an emotional post-game scene, as the physically-drained Lancers (14-3-3) consoled each other after the tough loss.

“We literally played so hard,” senior Paige Jessuck said. “We knew since we moved up to Class L this year that every single game was going to be a battle. I’m so proud of our effort because we didn’t stop until the time let out. We were just really pushing with everything that we could.”

Paige Jessuck’s brilliant individual effort handed Waterford a 1-0 lead with about 13 minutes left in the first half. After collecting the ball with three defenders nearby, she used her speed and skill to break in alone on the goal and poked the ball past an on-rushing D’Errico.

It was her 21st goal of the season.

“It’s all my team,” said Jessuck, who plans to play soccer at Salve Regina in Newport next year. “My team has given me so much confidence on the ball. When I was a freshman and sophomore, I didn’t put away those chances. I’ve just been working so hard to do that.”

Up until the point, Sacred Heart had the better scoring chances but couldn’t take advantage of five corner kicks. Senior goalie Victoria Sturm made a terrific save to keep Sacred Heart off the board.

The two teams traded momentum throughout the hard-fought game.

Some extended time in the offensive zone in the second half finally paid off for No. 7 Sacred Heart. Bianca Maciel found space near the far post and deflected in a free kick cross to tie the score with 23:38 remaining in regulation.

Waterford temporarily lost some steam when Paige Jessuck had to leave the game after a hard collison with D’Errico while pursuing the ball. She eventually returned to action about 11 minutes later.

The Lancers nearly won the game late in regulation.

Anna Waddington’s cross found fellow senior Charlotte Jessuck, whose header sailed just wide with about five and a half minutes remaining.

In a tense overtime, Murphy’s game winning goal ended Waterford’s season.

“We had a couple of opportunities to clear the ball and we just didn’t quite execute…,” Ghiglia said. “Unfortunately, we just didn’t get it done. We had our eye on trying to get to a state final, so it’s a little disappointing right now.”

A talented and tight-knit senior class helped the Lancers enjoy a successful season. They beat East Catholic, 4-1, to advance to the quarterfinals.

“It’s been amazing,” Paige Jessuck said. “It’s just so fun to go out and play with my best friends.”

g.keefe@theday.com