Jade Breese, No. 4 Mars girls soccer plasters West Allegheny to open WPIAL Class 3A tournament play
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Mars' Jade Breese (13) scores against West Allegheny in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Miley Gratton (29) battles West Allegheny's Kassidy Knaus (3) in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Miley Gratton (29) takes a shot in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Jade Breese (13) scores a goal against West Allegheny in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Miley Gratton (29) shoots at the goal in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Sydney Truver (34) attempts to score against West Allegheny in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Miley Gratton (29) flies over a West Allegheny defender in an scoring attempt in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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A Mars player saves the ball from going out of bounds in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game against West Allegheny on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Mars' Jade Breese (13) celebrates a goal against West Allegheny as teammates swarm her in a WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first-round game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
ADAMS TWP — It’s a good time of the year for a high school soccer team to be hitting its stride.
Offensively and defensively, that is where Mars’ girls are right now.
Jade Breese had a hat trick, and the No. 4 Planets allowed just one shot on goal in a 5-0 blanking of No. 13 West Allegheny in Monday’s WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game at Mars Athletic Complex.
Mars (14-1-1) has won nine straight games and scored 30 goals in its last six contests.
“We’re a young team and were playing with a lot of inexperience at the start of the year,” said Breese, a Youngstown State commit. “In the last few weeks, we’ve been getting people in the box and timing our runs well. Everything’s clicking for us.”
Breese began the scoring with a goal off a free kick from 33 yards in the eighth minute. That’s where the game stood at halftime, but West Allegheny’s attack was not posing a threat.
“The majority of their goals were scored by forward Maddy Pons, and they like to bring a midfielder up at times,” Mars head coach Blair Gerlach said. “We felt if we could clog the middle, it would take away a lot of their chances.”
It appeared as though the Indians (6-5-5) scored a goal on a header from Ellie Roberts in the first minute of the second half, but WA was offside.
Miley Gratton began the Planets’ scoring spree three minutes later, finding the net on a breakaway.
Breese scored twice more, once on a penalty kick, and Makenna Weaver closed the scoring.
“Jade leads us with 19 goals, but we’re consistently getting scoring from a number of different players,” Gerlach said.
Mars goalie Ciara Spaun’s one save came off a free kick in the 74th minute.
The Planets will host No. 5 South Fayette, a 4-0 winner over Franklin Regional on Monday, in a quarterfinal Thursday at a time to be determined.
“I don’t know if this team realizes its potential,” Gerlach said. “They’re out there having a blast. I’m the one with the nerves.”
