ADAMS TWP — Dale Glavin's head was in his hands as he kneeled in front of the goal.

Ben Andrews, a midfielder for the Knoch boys soccer team, was charging toward the Knights' bench to celebrate what he thought was a game-tying goal.

“I was in a dark place,” said Glavin, who is a junior goalkeeper for Mars' boys soccer team. “It was scary. We would have tied, but a tie isn't good enough.”

Both had sudden swings in emotions.

What Glavin couldn't see lifted his spirit. Andrews and Knoch had to cut their celebration short.

The referees waved off the goal, saying it occurred after time expired, allowing the Planets to earn a 1-0 Section 2-AA win Saturday at the Mars Athletic Complex.

“I looked up and saw my team celebrating and at first and I was like 'Why are you celebrating? They scored and we didn't win,'” Glavin said. “Then I looked at the ref and I turned from so sad to happy.”

There hasn't been much for Glavin to feel sad about this season.

He's recorded eight shutouts for Mars (9-0, 7-0). The Planets have outscored their opponents 54-1.

That's helped Mars earn a perch atop the section.

“Dale's been strong all season,” Mars junior Noah Hudac said. “Whenever the defense breaks down, he's always there to make big saves for us.”

Glavin's biggest save against Knoch (6-3, 4-2) came with around 7 minutes remaining.

The Knights were awarded a free kick on an obstruction call from around 19 yards out.

Andrews struck a strong indirect kick that was right under the crossbar, but Glavin was able to get his gloves on it.

The ball nearly wiggled out, but Glavin, who made five saves, kept control. Previously, Knoch had a couple of close calls on headers.

Both teams took a number of shots that were off-target.

Knights coach Malcolm Cook felt his team matched Mars' intensity.

Knoch just didn't capitalize on its offensive opportunities.

“It was a very even game I thought, but we made a bad mistake in the back and they scored,” Cook said. “When they made a mistake in the back, we didn't. It's as simple as that.”

Neither team generated many good offensive chances in the first half. Hudac scored to break the deadlock with 24 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the game.

“You have to anticipate where the ball is going to be and once it breaks out get to it and put it in the back of the net,” Hudac said.

Knoch has dropped two straight section games, moving the Knights to third place behind Mars and Shady Side Academy.

Hudac feels this was a big win for the Planets.

“It sets us up nicely. We're in the lead of section by ourselves,” Hudac said. “We have some work to do, but we're looking forward up on a positive note.”