McKenzie

IMPERIAL — Ryan McKenzie was down, but not out.

The sophomore forward on the Mars boys soccer team left Saturday's PIAA Class AA quarterfinal playoff game following a collision with Center goalkeeper Rob Scala late in the second half.

But he soon returned and scored the game-winner with 4:04 left in the first overtime as the Planets (20-3-1) defeated the Trojans 1-0 at West Allegheny's Joe P. DeMichela Stadium.

Mars will face Susquehannock, a 3-0 winner over WPIAL champ Steel Valley, in the state semifinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Hollidaysburg.

McKenzie and teammate Christopher Karns both left the game after being down on the field for several minutes with 11:45 left in regulation.

"The ball was in the air and coming toward the net," McKenzie said. "We were trying to make a play on it and their goalkeeper came out and just ran right through us.

"But I knew I would be back in the game," he added. "I hate to sit."

McKenzie's score came 20 yards from the Trojans' goal and to the right of the net.

The shot got past Scala and bounced into the left corner of the goal.

"It was a great high school soccer game between two evenly matched teams," said Center coach Mark Perry. "That was a great effort by the McKenzie kid to end it."

It was McKenzie's team-leading 17th goal of the season and his fifth of the playoffs. He scored both goals in the Planets' 2-1 win over North East in the first round of the PIAA tournament on Wednesday.

With as many shots as both teams had throughout the game, it was a wonder the game was scoreless entering overtime.

Scala ended the game with 16 saves, 15 of them coming in the first 80 minutes of play.

Mars junior goalkeeper Joe Haefner made 15 stops, with 13 in regulation.

When the two teams met Oct. 30 in the WPIAL semifinals (a 1-0 Center win), Haefner made one save and Scala had eight stops.

"I'm not surprised there were that many shots," said Planets coach Chris Knauff of Saturday's play. "But (Haefner) has kept us in games all year. He's come up with some big saves when we needed it."

"Both goalkeepers played great," said Perry. "I couldn't have asked for anything more out of (Scala)."

Haefner's play became even more important when senior midfielder Drew Glavin, a main cog in the Planets' offensive attack, received his second yellow card and had to leave the game with 17:34 left in the second half.

The most impressive stretch for Haefner came when he made seven saves in a span of 31 minutes of the first half.

Notes: Aside from allowing four goals in a loss to Steel Valley in the district title game, Center (20-5) had not allowed a score in its other four playoff games entering Saturday. ... Susquehannock (17-5-2), which is located 20 miles south of York, finished in fourth place in District 3.