BRADFORD, Pa. – Sophomore Olivia Belack (Upper St. Clair, PA/Upper St. Clair) scored three goals, including the game winner in the 98th minute to lead Penn State Behrend past Pitt-Bradford 4-3 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
Belack could not be stopped. She netted the game-winning goal for the second straight year in overtime in the title game, helping the Lions (13-7) become the second team in conference history to win five consecutive championships.
The win marks the 11th overall title and the AMCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the first round to begin No. 13-15.
Not only did Belack earn her first hat trick of the season, but she also tallied an assist on Laura Schaefer's (Erie, PA/General McLane) goal to give Behrend its fourth straight win over the Panthers (10-8-1) in the AMCC Championships
Behrend rallied back from a two-goal deficit to score three unanswered goals to take their first lead at 3-2. Two quick goals in the first 11 minutes gave Pitt-Bradford early hope. Meghan Stuck tallied both goals, the first off a corner kick and the next off a cross for a 2-0 lead just 10:43 into the contest.
Off the ensuing kickoff, Belack took the ball through the middle and fired a shot from 30 yards out to cut the lead to 2-1 in the 11th minute. Both teams battled for the next 35 minutes, coming up scoreless.
The Lions found the equalizer they tried to get in the first half in the 48th minute. Schaefer got a pass by Belack from the endline to just inside the 18-yard box and buried her shot past Sarah Dailey for a 2-all game.
Belack kept dominating the right side and connected with Jordan Oberlander (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) for her second goal by taking the pass and beating the defender to score on a diagonal shot for a 3-2 lead.
Behrend held the lead for nearly 17 minutes before Kaitlyn Donnelly make it 3-all with a shot that Taylor Troyan (Butler, PA/Butler) initially got her hands on but it was too hard to stop.
Similar to the previous three of the four last championships, the Lions and Panthers took this title game into overtime.
Belack's heroic shot was similar to the one in the first half, but this one meant an AMCC Championship was Behrend's once it went in. She sent a long ball into the left corner and over Dailey at the 97:30 mark for a chance to hoist the trophy once again.
Troyan made seven saves in the win for the Lions, while Dailey finished with five stops.
Belack, Oberlander and Schaefer were chosen to the All-Tournament Team.
Behrend's next opponent will be determined on Monday at 1 p.m. when the NCAA Selection Show is set to take place.
