By DREW GRANTHUM/For the Reporter

In the span of four short minutes, Oak Mountain’s matchup with McGill-Toolen went from nail biter to blow out, as the Eagles beat the Yellow Jackets, 4-0, and advanced to the AHSAA 6A Girls’ Soccer State Championship game.

After a Toni Payne goal that ricocheted off a McGill-Toolen defender, the Eagles were kept at bay for the rest of the first half, as the Yellow Jackets also struggled on offense.

Whatever issues the Eagles had were quickly fixed at the half. Four minutes into the second half, Ansley Neely scored an unassisted goal, and exactly 36 seconds later, she assisted Payne on her second goal, making it 3-0. Less than a minute later, Payne fed Julianne Jackson as she put one in the net to open it up to a 4-0 lead.

It turned out to be the last goal, as the Yellow Jackets never challenged net minder Chandler Ingram, taking only 2 shots, with only 1 being on goal to the Eagles’ 21 shots, 10 of which were on goal.

“The first half, I think we had some things we needed to iron out,” said coach Pete Dakis. “We talked at halftime, and there was a little uncertainty over what the gameplan was. We fixed it, and within five minutes we took care of business. When we play our game, these girls are very good.”

The Eagles will face Mountain Brook in the finals.