Planets perfect in section
JEFFERSON TWP — Knoch slowed down Mars with home-field advantage and the energy of Senior Night.
The Planets could not be stopped, however.
Tori Kopchak and Casey Merritt scored first-half goals, leading Mars to a 2-0 victory over the Knights in a WPIAL Section 2-AA girls soccer clash on Wednesday night at Knoch Stadium.
The win completes a perfect run through the section for the Planets (15-0-2, 14-0). The Section 2-AA champions will wrap up the regular season against non-conference foe Mt. Lebanon on Monday.
“It's always a goal for this team,” said Mars coach Blair Gerlach of winning the section title. “For us to come out here and play on a difficult field and still be able to gut out a win is nice.
“We knew it was going to be emotional with it being Senior Night for them,” he added. “I know a lot of these girls and I have a lot of respect for a lot of these girls.
“Regardless of the score, for us to come out of here with a win and finish it undefeated is a nice feeling for the girls.”
Kopchak, a freshman, tallied the initial goal on a strong shot from the right side with 20 minutes and 31 seconds remaining in the first half.
Knoch continued to battle, but Merritt put the Knights in a 2-0 hole on a well-placed shot from the right wing with 2:02 to go in the opening half.
“Casey is a good player but she didn't play a whole lot of varsity last year,” said Gerlach. “She stepped in and has played almost every minute of every game so far. She takes a lot of our corners, a lot of free kicks.
“She's grown into herself a little bit, which is nice to see because she deserves it,” he added. “She's a great kid.”
Despite the 2-0 deficit, Knoch continued to plug away and put some pressure on the Mars defense, but the Planets earned their 12th shutout of the season.
Mars goalkeeper Sarah Dailey made three saves to preserve the clean sheet, while the Planets outshot Knoch 10-8 overall and 6-3 in shots on net.
“I think we had the balance of play in the second half,” said Knoch coach Rich Kenzie. “The thing is, with anytime you play a team like Mars, you can't afford to make mistakes. That second goal, we should have shut the girl down and we didn't. Once it goes 2-0, it's tough to battle back.”
Knoch (12-4-1, 10-3-1) finished second in Section 2-AA, one game ahead of Freeport.
Kenzie was proud of his team's effort after the Knights dropped a 5-0 decision to the Planets on Sept. 23.
“I told the girls tonight if they could go home and look in the mirror and say they played the best that they could play, then they should be proud of themselves and I think they did that tonight,” said Kenzie. “We played our best game of the season, we just came out on the short of the stick.
“The good thing is that it gets them ready for the playoffs,” he added. “That's the kind the competition they're going to play in the playoffs and its gets them ready. It gets them tuned up.”
The WPIAL Class AA playoff brackets will be revealed next week.
Wednesday marked the final regular-season home game for Knoch seniors Olivia Sharbaugh, Gabi Lassinger, Audra Hunter, Lexie Galbreath, Kayla Smith and Abbey Gore.
Sharbaugh led the Knights with five shots — two on goal — while Galbreath recorded four saves at goalie.
“The senior class has been terrific,” said Kenzie. “What we've really focused on this year is having them leave a legacy here at Knoch for the younger girls coming through and they've definitely done that. It's going to be good to build on that experience.”
