ADAMS TWP— Waynesburg boys soccer coach Dylan Szewczyk feared the worst.

And he got it.

Mars scored four goals in the first half and cruised to a 6-0 victory Monday night at Mars Stadium in a first-round WPIALClass AAplayoff game that wasn't much of one.

The Planets (16-2-1) had a 22-2 edge in shots on goal and dominated play from start to finish.

"We didn't know what to expect tonight,"Mars coach Chris Knauff said. "We've never seen Waynesburg play and knew nothing about the teams they've played all year.

"We had to approach this in anticipation of a close game."

Szewczyk knew better.

Waynesburg (15-6) qualified for the playoffs for only the second time in 10 years. Mars is a regular participant in postseason play.

"This was a mismatch," Szewczyk said. "Size, speed, skill — they have us beaten in all of those areas. They trapped and passed the ball much better than we did.

"I figured the possibility was there that this game could wind up the way it did. Still, you try your best, do what you can and hold your head up high when it's over."

The Planets started only one senior, midfielder and co-captain Andrew Glavin, but senior Nathan Ganter came off the bench to score two goals and add an assist in the first half alone.

Sophomore midfielder Chris Karns got Mars on the scoreboard first with 23:33 left in the first half. Dylan McNany's shot from the left of the goal caromed off the right goalpost, right to Karns, who immediately fired it into the net.

Ganter scored on a penalty kick with 14:41 left in the half, then added his second goal two minutes later off an assist from Glavin.

Ganter assisted on a Tim Frigot goal with 9:22 left in the half.

"Nathan began the year as a defender and started a few games there,"Knauff said. "We decided to move him to forward a few games ago. He played an excellent game. He only had two or three goals all season before tonight."

Karns scored less than three minutes into the second half before Andy Knauff ended the scoring with 30:40 remaining. Coach Knauff substituted freely after that.

Waynesburg's Jason Logan came closest to ruining Mars goalkeeper Joe Haefner's shutout when he fired a shot wide of the net from 15 yards directly in front of the goal.

While Mars started five juniors and five sophomores, Waynesburg had six seniors in its lineup. Sean Fancher, a 28-goal scorer, was limited to one shot on net.

"I play my best kids,"Knauff said. "We're in a good situation here because I have 16 guys battling for 11 spots. Nobody ever lets down."

Sophomore Ryan McKenzie leads the Planets with 13 goals. Five other players have scored at least five.

Mars has won nine consecutive games and has outscored the opposition 65-13. Waynesburg allowed six goals one other time this fall — a 6-0 loss at Steel Valley in early September.

"Mars is every bit as good as Steel Valley,"Szewczyk said. "They are solid in every phase of the game."

The Planets will play Thomas Jefferson — a 2-0 winner over Southmoreland — in the next round, presumably Wednesday.

Mars has never won the WPIALand has been to the state tournament only once, in 2003.

"These boys have a goal of winning the WPIALthis year,"Knauff said. "We'll see. Every game will be tough from here on out."