KARNS CITY — It was a crisp mid-November night when one of the best seasons in Karns City girls soccer history ended last fall.

As the players walked off the field in DuBois that evening, coach Tracy Dailey said she hoped a fire would be lit under them to return and get to the state title match.

That fire is already burning in Karns City.

“I'm so excited,” said senior midfielder Megan McCartney, who scored 29 goals to go with 19 assists for the Gremlins last season. “I think we can go really far this season. I feel like we have such a strong team and we work so well together.”

Expectations are always high at Karns City — after all, the Gremlins have owned District 9 for more than two decades, winning 18 of he last 21 district championships.

But after falling to Loyalsock Township, 2-1, in the PIAA Class A semifinals last season, those expectations are even higher.

“Absolutely,” Dailey said. “They got a taste of winning and what they could do. They knew they could have gone one step farther.”

McCartney will again be the centerpiece of the offense. The defending Butler Eagle Girls Soccer Player of the Year may not score as many goals, however — mainly because there is so much firepower around her.

“Megan is going to play a big role, but we're not going to rely on one person,” Dailey said. “We have a freshman coming in (Alexis Moore) who can be a goal-scorer for us. And we have Hunter Dittman and Haley Sherer. Megan will be more of a midfielder, more of a distributor. It'll be interesting.”

Karns City won't surprise people this year, as it did last season when it upset WPIAL power Greensburg Central Catholic in the PIAA quarterfinals.

The Gremlins are also moving up to Class AA and will have to compete with Punxsutawney and Clearfield for their 19th district title.

“To me, we have to get out of District 9 first before we start thinking about the state playoffs,” Dailey said.

To that end, Karns City has beefed up its non-league schedule in the hopes to prepare itself for the rigors of the PIAA postseason.

Karns City is playing Mercyhurst Prep, Oakland Catholic, Slippery Rock and Wilmington this season.

“I like what I'm seeing so far and we have a really competitive schedule,” Dailey said.