Section secured
ADAMS TWP — On the last day of section play, the Mars girls soccer team put its stamp on the 2-AA title.
Kristen McKenzie's goal 11:05 into the game jumpstarted the Planets, who went on to defeat rival Knoch 3-0 Monday night at the Mars Athletic Complex.
The two teams had battled to a 2-2 tie Sept. 26. Monday's defeat is the first of the season for the Knights (14-1-2, 11-1-2).
“To be honest, I think this year's section title is more important than last year,” said Mars coach Blair Gerlach. “Knoch is a veteran team. They have several players who have been starting for three or four years.
“We start just three seniors,” added Gerlach. “And with the first game this year ending in a tie, this was big. With it being Senior Night, the biggest thing for us was finding a way to stay focused.”
Mars (17-0-1, 13-0-1) received insurance goals from Mani Brueckner (42nd minute) and Bethany Perri (69th minute) in the second half.
The Planets tallied five corner kicks in the first 30 minutes of the game, but McKenzie's goal did not come on a set piece. Rather, it was the product of some nifty passing between McKenzie and senior forward Kristen Check to the left of Knoch's goal.
“Knoch took us out of some things we were trying to do offensively early in the game,” Gerlach said. “That first goal was huge.”“That early goal kind of put us on (our heels),” said Knoch coach Steve Perri.Knoch had a decent scoring chance in the 27th minute of play when Danielle Sharbaugh put her foot into a shot 15 yards from Mars goalkeeper Sarah Dailey, who got her hands on the ball, which then sailed over the crossbar. The Planets successfully defended the ensuing corner kick.Mars ended the night earning 11 corner kicks and forcing Knoch's Maranda Tano to make eight saves.Knoch had four corner kicks while Dailey made six saves.“We were hoping our defense could slow them down, as hard as that is to do,” said Perri. “On this turf, it's much harder to do.“A positive I'm taking from this is that other teams aren't going to hold them to three goals,” added Perri. “Our defense is ready to compete with the top teams.”Perri is hoping his players learn from their first setback of the season.“It just shows that when you're in a battle with a great team, you can be punished for any mistake you make,” he said. “We made five mistakes tonight and were punished for three of them.“We have to eliminate those mistakes,” he added.“I'm very impressed with the job Steve has done,” Gerlach said.Knoch will close the regular season with a visit to Plum on Wednesday, the same night as the WPIAL pairings meeting.
