After ‘cruel’ loss, Mars girls soccer exacts revenge on Shaler in ‘rewarding’ WPIAL section win
ADAMS TWP — Nobody saw this coming — particularly Shaler.
The Titans invaded Mars Athletic Complex on Monday night riding an 11-game winning streak in which they allowed only three goals. Mars struck for four goals in the first 29 minutes on its way to a dominant 5-1 WPIAL Section 1-3A girls soccer victory over Shaler.
The Mars victory avenged a 2-1 loss at Shaler earlier this season. The Planets (11-1-1, 7-1-1) have reeled off six straight wins since.
“Anyone who looks at the number of corner kicks and shots on goal for the two teams in our first game, everyone would think we won,” Mars head coach Blair Gerlach said. “That game showed that soccer can be a cruel game.
“Tonight showed soccer can be a rewarding game.”
Mars wasted little time getting on the scoreboard Monday.
Mackenzie Powell slid a pass over to freshman midfielder Hayleigh Wolski, who was alone in front of the net. Wolski made no mistake in giving the Planets a 1-0 lead in the game’s fifth minute.
Wolski struck again seven minutes later. A teammate’s arching shot from a challenging angle deep in the right corner hooked past Shaler netminder Livia Ryan and caromed off the far post. The deflection came right to Wolski for an easy tally.
“Our energy at the start of this game was much higher than it was last time we faced them,” Mars junior forward Miley Gratton said. “When we scored those two early goals, our energy level went up that much higher. It deflated them a little bit, too.”
Gratton added two goals of her own before the first half ended. She hooked a shot inside the far left post from a difficult angle in the 17th minute. She deftly slid a shot into the left corner of the net in the 29th minute to give the Planets a 4-0 lead.
Mars had nine shots on net in the first 40 minutes, 13 for the game. The Planets’ fifth goal occurred on a corner kick by Jade Breese that was inadvertently knocked into the net by Shaler for an own goal in the 55th minute.
The Planets had a 5-0 lead, and the Titans were still looking for their first shot on net.
“We’re very athletic in the back,” Planets sophomore right backer Carly McKenna said. “We take a lot of pride in limiting the other team’s chances. We didn’t allow them any scoring opportunities tonight.
“We were taking no chances. Tonight, we were very organized. We played it safe defensively. We were unlucky last time we played them. We weren’t unlucky tonight.”
Shaler (11-2-0, 8-1) averaged just under three goals per game during its 11-game win streak. The Titans’ lone shot on net came in the 78th minute. Naudia Zotter buried a free kick from 18 yards out to spoil the shutout.
The tally was only the second allowed by Mars during its six-game win streak. The Planets have surrendered only five goals all season.
“We played awful tonight,” Shaler head coach Carlo Prati said. “We missed every ball. We played sloppy, and when you do that against a good team, this is what happens.”
Despite the loss, Shaler can clinch its first section title since 1987 with a victory Wednesday over winless Ambridge.
“They will gain momentum and motivation to bounce back from this just like we did from our loss at their place,” Gerlach said. “Shaler has a very good team. No one is going to want to face them in the playoffs.”
The Planets, locked into second place in the section, play Wednesday at Hampton.
