ADAMS TWP — For Mars girls soccer coach Blair Gerlach, his players’ attitude last season was just as important as their physical talent.

Gerlach watched his team win the PIAA Class AA title with a 1-0 victory over Villa Joseph Marie Nov. 18 in Hershey.

It capped an undefeated season, as the Planets finished 25-0-1. The effort was named the Butler Eagle’s top sports story of 2011.

“It was a very motivated team,” said Gerlach, who was assisted by Greg Blum and Wes Kuchta. “The girls didn’t talk about what they wanted to do individually. It was all about ‘we.’

“If you take any one of our girls and change that attitude, things may not have worked out for us.”

The seed for this year’s success was planted in the fall of 2010.

Following an 18-0 regular season, the Planets cruised through the WPIAL playoffs, defeating Beaver 2-0 in the district title game for the program’s second WPIAL championship.

State playoff wins over Villa Maria and Bradford were followed by a semifinal clash with Mercyhurst Prep.

Mars lost 3-0. It was the only blemish in a 24-1 season.

“The way that season ended was extremely important,” said Gerlach. “Sometimes, you have to have something taken away from you before you realize how important it is.

“It gave the girls the drive to come back and work harder,” he added. “If 2010 doesn’t play out the way it did, I don’t think 2011 happens for us.”

The 2011 season started with Mars dismantling its first 10 opponents by a combined score of 94-3.

The Planets traveled to Knoch Sept. 26 for a battle of unbeatens and the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie.

“We had to scrap just to get out of there with a tie,” said Gerlach. “We were down 1-0 at the half. It showed that you have to come into every game ready to play.”

Not able to defeat a section and county rival was a bitter pill for the Planets to swallow, but the team responded well.

“That tie took away our chance at a perfect season,” said junior midfielder Bethany Perri. “It made us want to go out and make up for it with our play.”

What followed was 15 straight victories, handing the Planets a Section 2 title, a WPIAL crown and the program’s first-ever state championship.

“We basically needed (2010) plus two wins,” said Gerlach. “We didn’t overlook wanting to win a section title and a WPIAL title, but we just wanted to finish.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Dailey made eight saves in the state final. Prior to that performance, she was the one unknown on the pitch for Mars.

“She faced shots every day in practice, but it didn’t work out that way in games just because our defense played so well,” said Blum, a goalkeeper for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds who coached Dailey this season. “I wasn’t surprised she played well in the state title game. Her confidence grew from the start of the season to the end.”

Mars’ offense was lethal. Six different players scored at least 12 goals — Mani Brueckner (36), Karli Paracca (21), Kristen Check (17), Kristen McKenzie (17), Crysta Ganter (13) and Perri (12).

Junior midfielder Patricia Glavin, who Gerlach referred to as the team’s unsung hero, added 10 goals.

“A lot of teams in western Pennsylvania have one big scorer,” said Gerlach. “As a defense, you put two defenders on that player. But against us, teams couldn’t do that. We had several kids who could score and change games.”

Mars’ defense stymied teams all season long. The group included starters Amber Fichter, Erica Schwab, Jordyn White and Shae O’Connor.

Despite all of the impressive individual numbers, what stands out about Mars’ 2011 season is what the girls were able to accomplish as a team.

“I honestly think the biggest reason for our success was the relationship we had with each other,” said Perri. “Our ability to work together was important.”

“Seeing these girls set a goal and accomplish it, it was satisfying for me to have a small part in that,” said Gerlach. “They set the standard here. It was special.”