The race for the sixth and final spot in the upcoming MCAL girls soccer playoffs is really starting to take shape with several teams in contention for that spot competing head to head this week.

San Marin traveled to Archie Williams on Friday looking for its first points of the season while the Peregrine Falcons were looking to solidify their playoff positioning.

Archie Williams went ahead on an early goal by Leta Benson but fell behind after goals by San Marin’s Gianna Grasso and Tatum D’Angelica. The Peregrine Falcons ultimately rallied, getting a penalty kick from Caroline Lozaw as the teams shared the points following a 2-2 draw.

“We knew that we needed to have a positive result,” San Marin coach Rebecca Walker said. “We’ve been fighting against some pretty hard teams the first three games. We got the tough ones right up front and we have had some great moments there but we needed to go all 80 [minutes] and I think this game we really did.”

The Peregrine Falcons (3-4-4, 1-2-1 MCAL) got off to an ideal start, scoring in the eighth minute when Benson made a run down the right side of the field and took a shot from well outside the 18-yard box that nestled just inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.Archie Williams was able to exploit San Marin’s back line for a slew of chances in the early going but goalie Amanda Postel came up with multiple impressive saves to keep the Mustangs (2-7-1, 0-3-1) within reach.

“She was phenomenal,” Walker said. “She had a fantastic game. She was injured last week and today showed up ready to play. She saved us.”

San Marin had a couple of isolated chances midway through the first half with Gianna Grasso hitting the crossbar with a long-range effort in the 15th minute then coming close on a long free kick in the 19th minute.

After about 30 minutes, Walker decided to change her team’s lineup, pushing Gianna Grasso forward from left back to right wing and moving D’Angelica from attacking midfielder to striker. The more paid off almost immediately as D’Angelica played a ball out wide to Grasso, who got behind the defense and scored to tie the game at 1-1.

“I remember calling for the ball,” Grasso said. “(D’Angelica) looked up, she saw me, and it was a great ball. I just ran to it, shot it, and it went in.”

San Marin grew into the game from that point on and were less vulnerable across the back line despite sacrificing Grasso on the left-hand side.

“Our center backs figured out that we need to hold the line together and come together,” Walker said. “Also Alina Rempe coming off the bench — she really came on and did her job. She’s got great speed. She’s a great disrupter, keeping players in front of her, and she’ll give you 110% and she did that. That’s why we were able to put Gianna up in the front.”

Archie Williams started the second half with an immediate opportunity as Ainsley Sullivan got behind the defense. Rempe recovered in time to take the ball away from Sullivan and the referee awarded San Marin a free kick in its own half.

The Mustangs countered off the free kick, playing the ball forward to Sicily Grasso, who passed to D’Angelica just outside the corner of the 18-yard box. D’Angelica, with a pair of defenders closing in, took a touch, drifted infield across the top of the 18-yard box, then pinged a shot into the back of the net to put San Marin ahead 2-1 in the 42nd minute.

“I was making a slashing run and (Sicily) played it to my foot and I turned and I just saw I could take the two [defenders] on,” D’Angelica said. “When I got around the player, there was a little space for the shot.”

San Marin was about 15 minutes away from securing all three points and an immediate path back into playoff contention when Sullivan was tugged down inside the 18-yard box. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and Lozaw converted the kick to level the game at 2-2 in the 68th minute.

“I knew we really needed to get that to kind of change the energy, change the dynamic of the game,” Lozaw said. “I took a deep breath and just tried to get that goal.”

The result pushed Archie Williams into sole possession of sixth place on four points — one ahead of San Rafael. San Marin got on the board with its first point and has games remaining against Redwood, Terra Linda, San Rafael, and Novato.

“We all have the goal of making MCALs and the top six at least so this game we came in knowing that it was one of the most important games of the season and if we get a good result, it’s going to change everything,” D’Angelica said.

Around the county

• Josie Quinby received a pass from Rashell Diaz in the 65th minute, went past a couple of defenders then scored to lift Terra Linda to a 1-0 win against Marin Catholic on Friday. Goalie Jojo Fetterman-Riggle made some crucial saves down the stretch for TL (6-4-3, 2-2-1) to keep MC (8-3-3, 3-2-0) at bay. TL coach Dylan Arroyo credited his back line of Samantha Foley, Remi David, Katherine King, and Makena Reyes with strong games to help keep MC off the score sheet.

• Sarah Farese had a hat trick as Redwood jumped into first place following a 6-0 win against Novato (0-10-0, 0-4-0) on Friday. Redwood (10-2-3, 4-0-1) sits on 13 points, three ahead of idle Tam which has a game in hand. The Giants also got goals from Caitlin Titcombe, Evelyn Spiegel, and Addison Ryba, plus assists from Titcombe, Spiegel, Zoe Clark, Lily O’Shea, and Ava Walkeryee.

• Catrin Howell had a goal plus three assists and Julia Myerberg scored twice as Branson rolled to a 7-0 road win against San Rafael (10-5-0, 1-3-0) on Friday night. Ally Hsieh had a goal and an assist for the Bulls (13-2-1 3-1-1). Branson also got goals by Anya Sridharan, Sophia Duran, and Whitney Collet, plus an assist by Audrey Spaly.

• Reese Goodenough assisted on the first goal and put the game out of reach by scoring the second as Marin Academy defeated archrival University 2-0 on Friday. Goodenough had the assist on Sadie Goodenough’s goal in the 51st minute then capped the scoring in the 78th minute on an assist from Raya Leikin.