HOLLIDAYSBURG — Last season, the Mars boys soccer team used overtime to oust Susquehannock from the PIAA playoffs and advance to the Class AA title game.

This time around, the extra period smiled on the Warriors.

With 7:30 left in overtime, Susquehannock senior Sam Wendler received a rebound that had ricocheted off the crossbar and beat Planets goalkeeper Joe Haefner for a 2-1 victory in the PIAA quarterfinals Saturday at Hollidaysburg High School.

Ironically, last year's battle, which was played on the same field, ended with a 2-1 final.

"There was revenge on our minds," said Warriors coach Ben Kettlewell. "We lost eight seniors from last year's team, but many of the younger players remembered what happened here. It felt good to win this time."

During the course of Saturday's game, the Warriors' offense went from no serious scoring opportunities in the first half to seven shots on goal in the final 47:30 of play, including overtime.

The Planets had taken a 1-0 lead when Ryan McKenzie beat Warriors goalkeeper Micah Collins with 31:29 left in the second half.

The Warriors' resilience finally paid off with Rich Chilcoat's tally with just over 10 minutes remaining.

"They outplayed us in the second half," said Mars coach Chris Knauff. "I think our guys got tired and we weren't able to control the ball like we did earlier in the game.

"I was hoping one goal would be enough, but they pushed us in the second half," Knauff added.

The first half may have ended in a scoreless tie, but the Planets had plenty of scoring opportunities, while Haefner needed to make only two saves in the first 40 minutes and those came on relatively weak shots.

In a span of 4Z\x minutes of the first half, Mars managed four legitimate opportunities that brought the Planets' fans to their feet.

One of those came with 26:23 left before halftime when Michael Page was to the left of Susquehannock's goal and delivered a centering pass to midfielder Tim Vandall, whose shot sailed over the crossbar.

The Warriors defended McKenzie, Mars' leading goal scorer, tightly the entire game.

But after the junior's goal early in the second half, Susquehannock often had three or four defenders obstructing his path to the net.

"We knew about him from last year," said Kettlewell. "He's a very good player and we knew where he was on the field at all times today."

Haefner ended the game with seven saves while Collins had six.

The Warriors finished third in District 3 before entering the state playoffs.

Susquehannock will face Thomas Jefferson, the team that Mars defeated in the WPIAL final, in the PIAA semifinals Tuesday in Hollidaysburg.

The 2008 season was one to remember for the Planets (18-3-2).

"It was great to win the WPIAL," Knauff said. "There's a lot of great teams in that district. The boys may be disappointed now, but they have a lot to be proud of."