CLARION — Tracy Dailey can still recall vividly the conversation she had in 1997 with her Karns City girls soccer coach, Joe Meshanko.

“It's funny because I can remember (Meshanko) saying, 'Wouldn't it be so cool if you would come back and be a coach one day?'” Dailey said. “Lo and behold, I'm back.”

Dailey was a part of four District 9 Class A championships as a player with Karns City. Now, in her first year as the Gremlins' girls soccer coach, she has another district title on her resume.

Emily LoPresti scored three goals as Karns City dispatched DuBois Central Catholic, 6-0, in the district title game at Clarion University Thursday night.

“It's a great feeling to be able to come back to this program and to see where the program is from when I left it and pick up right where we left off,” Dailey said. “It's a great feeling.”

Dailey took over this season for Lisa Castiglione, who spent eight seasons as the Gremlins' coach.

It didn't take long for the Karns City players to adapt to new leadership.

“Coming in, we were really nervous because we didn't know how she was going to be,” LoPresti said of Dailey. “She worked us really hard. We won, so it obviously worked out pretty well.”

The playoffs have worked out really well for the Gremlins so far, especially the title game against the Cinderella Cardinals.

DuBois Central Catholic (11-10), the 11th seed, had to win three playoff matches — all by one goal — to reach the final.

The Cardinals only had 12 healthy players Thursday night and 14 on their roster.

“We're playing against a stacked deck. Everyone knows that,” said DuBois Central Catholic coach Rusty Meyers. “And they went out there and they played. I didn't think we played our best, but we didn't quit.

“We only had 12 tonight, but the girls are used to playing many different positions and they are used to playing the whole game,” Meyers added. “We're awful proud of them and the school is awful proud of them.”

Karns City (19-1) wasted little time in jumping on DuBois Central Catholic.

Megan McCartney scored less than three minutes into the match and then LoPresti scored a little more than a minute later for a quick 2-0 lead.

McCartney scored her second goal with 11:40 remaining in the first half by dribbling through two defenders and launching a twisting left-footed shot that found the net.

“Megan is our workhorse,” Dailey said. “I can put Megan literally in any spot on the field — maybe not goalie, but even at goalie she'd probably do a pretty good job.”

LoPresti also has been impressed with her sophomore teammate.

“She's a really good player,” LoPresti said. “I'm going to come back to see how she does the next few years. She's going to be really good.”

LoPresti has been more than good during her career. With her three goals against DCC, LoPresti has 61 goals this season and 156 in her career.

She tacked on her third goal of this night with 28:15 remaining in the match for a 5-0 Karns City lead.

Aubrie Ball put the finishing touches on the romp with a goal with 22:21 on the second-half clock.

The title is the third straight for Karns City and its 17th in the last two decades.

Now the Gremlins' focus will turn to the PIAA Class A playoffs where they will face Shady Side Academy (17-4), the third-place team out of the WPIAL, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Clarion University.

Karns City's season has been ended by a WPIAL team in the state playoffs the last three seasons.

“We started (working on the state playoffs) as soon as that clock hit zero,” Dailey said. “It's a hill we need to climb.”

For LoPresti the state playoffs is about keeping her stellar high school career alive.

“I don't want it to be over,” she said. “We're looking forward to it. I really hope we get far.”