Thursday's first of its kind soccer game at Calvert Hall -- the first athletic event ever played under the lights in school history -- lived up to its billing and then some with visiting Mount St. Joseph taking on the lead role in a Hollywood-like script.

The Gaels came away with a win in penalty kicks to advance to Monday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship against defending league champion McDonogh.

How they made it was nothing short of incredible with a number of heroes taking turns on center stage. First to step up was JV goalie Dominic Ruggiero, who was unexpectedly pressed into action when starter Brad Benzing was not available due to what coach Mike St. Martin called school-related issues.

Playing in front of an estimated 2,700 fans, Ruggiero was able to keep the Gaels close, enabling Jalen Robinson to tie the game at 2 with just 15 seconds left in regulation as the Calvert Hall student body was ready to spill onto the field.

Then, senior forward David Arnold stole the show when the game went into penalty kicks. As penalty kicks approached, St.Martin asked Arnold, tall and athletic, to not only take a penalty kick, but also stop some. So after making good on his penalty kick to get the Gaels off to a strong start, he made saves on the last three Calvert Hall attempts to give the Gaels a 3-2 win.

It was the first time Arnold, a team captain, had been in goal since he was 11 years old.

Mount St. Joseph will take on McDonogh at 7 p.m. Monday at Johns Hopkins. The Gaels upset the Eagles, 2-1, in early October. It was the Eagles' first loss of the season and came the same week they were named the No. 1-ranked team in the country for the first time ever.

Monday's game also will be a rematch of last year's title game, a 6-1 win by McDonogh.