CLARION - The Karns City girls soccer team can't walk on water. It only appears it can.

For the second consecutive game, the Gremlins had to play in heavy rain and gusty winds, but the conditions couldn't deter them from capturing another District 9 title.

In Thursday's Class AA championship game, the Gremlins scored three goals in a span of 3 minutes, 21 seconds early in the first half in their 4-0 victory over Brookville at Clarion University's Memorial Stadium.

The win will send Karns City (19-4) to the first round of the PIAA playoffs, where it will face the loser of this weekend's WPIAL championship game between Sewickley Academy and Shady Side Academy.

"Like I told the kids, we have to come out at the whistle and go at them," said Karns City coach Joe Meshanko. "If you score that first goal, it's so important. It gets you going."

Nikki McElroy got the Gremlins going early when she took a Brittni Grenninger pass and slipped the ball past Bulldogs goalie Khira Gadley just 4:36 into the game.

Karns City's Brittany Green then deposited a direct kick from 20 yards away into the net with 32:52 left in the first half before Grenninger followed up with a header off pass from Green 49 seconds later for a quick 3-0 lead.

"(Grenninger) gets it done," said Meshanko. "If teams start marking her, she'll pull others away and that opens things up."

Grenninger added the Gremlins' fourth goal with 1:11 before the break, which turned out to be the final goal of the game.

"At the half, I told them we have to learn and finish the game," said Meshanko. "What I want is a goose egg on the board. If they get a goal at the end, then we'll be practicing."

"Our girls always play hard in the second half," said Brookville coach Jim Confer. "When we play at Karns City we play on turf, but this was the first time we played on turf all year."

As it turned out, the Gremlins preserved the shutout and made quick work of their opponents in the District 9 playoffs.

They defeated Clarion 6-1 Oct. 28 by scoring four goals in the first 9:09 and followed up with a 5-0 win over Redbank Valley Tuesday in the semifinals as they held a 3-0 lead in the first 22 minutes.

This year, the Gremlins hope to make their presence felt in the state playoffs, but getting through the first round has been difficult for Meshanko, now in his eighth year at the helm.

"We'll savor the moment," said Meshanko. "The whole goal is to get past that first game."

Gremlins goalie Keirstin Foreback made three saves while Gadley finished with 12 saves.