CAPE ELIZABETH — The conditions were miserable – whipping winds, driving rain, a wet chill – but none of that seemed to bother Camden Woods on Tuesday night.

Woods, a senior forward, scored the game’s only goal, early in the third quarter, as second-ranked Cape Elizabeth defeated seventh-ranked Morse 1-0 in a Class B South field hockey quarterfinal at Hannaford Field.

Woods, who played in short sleeves, somehow split two Morse defenders and one-handed the ball past Morse goalie Gracie Hawkes to lift the Capers (12-2-1) into the regional semifinals for the first time since 2013. Cape Elizabeth will play the winner of the Yarmouth-Freeport quarterfinal, on Saturday.

“It means a lot for our team,” said Woods. “Our freshman year was not as strong (1-13) as this. This year we have such a strong team and strong ladies, it’s very nice.”

Cape Elizabeth’s defense held the Shipbuilders without a shot in the second half. Morse had two sterling scoring chances in the final minute of the first half. But Cape goalie Zoe Burgard turned back both shots to keep the game scoreless.

And in the second half, the Capers didn’t allow the Shipbuilders anywhere near Burgard.

“Just much better communication,” said Carmen Erickson, a senior defender for Cape Elizabeth. “And we definitely stepped up to the ball more.”

“Running to the ball was very big in the second half,” said Burgard. “We really listened to what we were saying at halftime, which is always great to know how fast we can transition from what we were told at the half to doing it on the field.”

Cape Elizabeth Coach Maura Bisogni said the focus in the second half, with the rain worsening, was to keep pushing the ball forward. “We wanted to keep going to the goal,” she said. “We knew they had some good players and were dangerous if in the circle too long. So our solution was to not be in our defensive end.”

Morse Coach Kerri Reno, whose team finished 7-7-2, said Burgard played a strong game for the  Capers, but that the Shipbuilders were equally impressive defensively.

“We knew they were going to be aggressive,” she said. “I was proud of the way our defense played, I was proud of our goalie. It was an all-around effort. A 1-0 game against the No. 2 seed, you know, that was pretty respectful for us.”

The first half was a back-and-forth game, with both teams controlling play at times. The conditions worsened in the second half, but Woods broke through at an opportune time, scoring with 9:18 left in the third quarter.

“I don’t really remember it,” said Woods. “It was really all Ella (Membrino) bringing it up the field. I definitely got lucky squeezing it past her. But it was a team effort.”

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