RUSSELLTON — Fourteen seconds.

That's all that remained before Freeport and Mars would have gone to a shootout in their WPIALClass AA quarterfinal boys soccer game Wednesday night.

The Yellowjackets were hoping for the penalty kicks; the Planets, not so much.

But the subject proved moot when sophomore forward Alex Perri knocked in the game-winner to give the Planets the hard-fought 1-0 victory in the second overtime at Deer Lakes High School.

With the win, Mars (15-2-2) advances to the semifinal round, where it will play the winner of tonight's South Park-Center game next week at a day, site and time to be determined.

"We had three forwards on top," said Mars coach Chris Knauff on Perri's goal. "I didn't want to go to the kicks, so we put some forwards up there and it worked out.

"I told the guys at the end of the game and after the first overtime it may not be a pretty goal. It might be off someone's knee. We just have to have the willpower to put it in,"Knauff added.

"It just bounced across in slow motion," said Perri. "All I had to do was to place it."

Freeport, the No. 14 seed entering the playoffs, had upset No. 3 Chartiers Valley 3-1 on Tuesday and gave Mars all it could handle.

Goaltender Nick Gentile made 11 saves to help keep the Planets off the board through regulation and almost through both overtimes.

"I was extremely confident," said Freeport coach Chris McGrady. "Our goalie defends penalty kicks well.

"One more clear was all we needed, and that's the difference of going to the semifinals,"McGrady added.

Great scoring chances didn't come easily for either team, as Gentile and Mars goalie Joe Haefner came up with their biggest saves in the first half.

Gentile made a diving stop with 14:10 remaining until the half, then Haefner, who recorded five saves, came up big when Freeport's John Reichenbaugh broke free down the left side and closed toward the net, only to see Haefner come out and make a blocking save.

Haefner made a diving save early in the second half and teammate Tim Vandall drilled a shot that just cleared the crossbar with 22:20 remaining in regulation.

"(Mars) had some opportunities and we defended them strongly," said McGrady.

In the first and second overtimes, Mars controlled play, but couldn't get on the scoreboard until Perri came up big.

Still, the Planets didn't allow the aggravation to build.

"We really do get frustrated, but good teams keep their cool," said Perri. "The madder you get, the less likely you get the bounces. We got lucky."

And having to rely on the shootout is never easy.

"We really don't like those," said Perri. "That's kind of the last resort. We have really good people who can do it, but it's always stressful. Anything can happen."

The Yellowjackets (15-4-1) saw a great season come to a close, but McGrady couldn't express his appreciation enough for his squad.

"I'm amazed and proud of those gentlemen," he noted.

Said Knauff, "It's a heartbreaker for Freeport. They're a great team. We wish we would have met them later (in the playoffs). They gave us everything they had."