GARDINER — When the Gardiner girls soccer team started the season 1-3-1, head coach Jessica Prince told her team it needed to improve its finish.

The Tigers listened.

Led by goals from senior Abby Cooley and junior Sophia Marrone, Gardiner topped Oceanside 2-0 on Tuesday night at Hoch Field. The Tigers (9-4-1) wrapped up the regular season winning eight of their final nine matches to claim the No. 7 seed for the Class B North playoffs.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Marrone said. “We’ve had a really good season. It’s nice to come out on top on our Senior Night.”

“That was an exciting (win),” added Prince. “This (game) was circled on our calendar for a while. We knew (Oceanside) is always such hard competition for us and they played a heck of a game.”

The beginning of the first half was a midfield battle between the Tigers and Mariners (9-3-2), the No. 5 seed in B North. With just under 13 minutes left in the half, Cooley found some space down the right sideline, and was able to sneak a shot past Oceanside goalkeeper Harmony Withee for a 1-0 score, where it remained until halftime.

“One of our biggest focuses (this season) is on finishing,” Prince said. “Those first few games, where we went 1-3-1, finishing was a big area of improvement (that was needed). To be able to capitalize on those moments is massive, it’s been what we’ve been working for all season.”

Marrone put the game away for the Tigers early in the second half, sending a screaming shot from 30 yards away past Withee and into the net for the final 2-0 score.

“I think I won the ball in the midfield, and (Oceanside) didn’t pressure me that much,” Marrone said. “I just carried it, ripped (the shot) and it went in.”

“She’s had longer (goals) than that, but that was pretty,” Prince added. “She’s special.”

Gardiner goalkeeper Adela Ricker (four saves) played aggressively throughout the match, moving far away from the net on several occasions for loose balls.

In their final nine matches of the season, the Tigers outscored opponents by a 30-8 margin, with four shutout victories.

“Our back line and the midfield (are strong), it seems like everything is connecting,” Marrone said. “Start of the season to now, we’re just such a different team, it’s really awesome to see that develop over time.”