ADAMS TWP — Most of Nick Porter's work with the Mars boys soccer team comes from limiting pressure on teammate and goalkeeper Jake Gareis.

Having him near the opposing net paid immediate dividends Monday night.

Soon after the opening touch, the Planets were on the attack. The ball was played into a crowd just yards in front of South Fayette goalkeeper Austin Rees and Porter's header gave Mars the lead just 26 seconds into the game.

It was a lead the Planets never surrendered in a 3-1 victory over the Lions in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal at the Mars Athletic Complex.

Mars (17-0) will play in the district championship game against Franklin Regional, a 2-1 winner over West Allegheny, at 8 p.m. Thursday at North Allegheny's Newman Stadium.

“Dane Beller (senior forward) played the ball in from the outside,” said Porter of the opening sequence. “Everybody did a great job working together to make that goal happen.”

Porter wasn't finished.

In the 50th minute, his shot from 25 yards deflected off the hand of a Lions' player who was inside the box, leading to Nabil Lahlou's goal on a penalty kick for a 2-0 edge.

“Nick's more of a defensive player, but he has the ability to press when the opportunity is there,” said Mars coach Chris Knauff. “He was feeling it tonight.”

The Lions (11-5-1) didn't earn their first corner kick until the 47th minute, but they made things interesting late in the game.

In the 65th minute, senior midfielder Chad Eldridge laced a shot less than 10 yards from Mars' goal, but a Planet defender blocked the attempt. Another shot just seconds later was saved by Gareis.

Then in the 77th minute, Eldridge headed in Dan Gormley's corner kick to cut Mars' lead to 2-1.

“We knew they love to play the long ball and we took that away from them pretty early,” Porter said of the Lions. “But they're great with set-pieces.”

It was only the fifth goal allowed by the Planets all season.

“I knew they were going to score at some point,” said Knauff. “They've got big, fast and physical kids.”

But the Lions never scored the equalizer. Beller's empty-net goal with 16 seconds left settled matters.

Gareis stopped five shots and Rees three.

The Planets will be making their first appearance in the WPIAL title game since 2016, when they fell to Chartiers Valley.

“I think we had teams with the talent to get there the last few years, but we had disappointing results,” said Knauff. “This year's team is mentally strong and they respond when we need it most.”