Mount Aloysius College overcame the top two seeds in the AMCC tournament to earn the conference title for just the second time in program history.
The #3 seed followed up a 2-1 overtime win over #2 seed Penn State Behrend in Wednesday's semifinal with a 2-1 regulation victory against top seeded Medaille College on Saturday. Both wins came far from their home pitch in Cresson, PA.
The Mounties, led by the two-goal performance of midfielder Tevin Beadle, also played above their weight in a match that saw them compete for more than three-quarters of the game down a player. Defender Ethan Meader received a red card for interfering with a clear scoring attempt by Medaille forward Ander Castillo at the 32:11 mark.
The Mavs racked up seven corner kicks to the Mounties' nil, and put 12 shots on goalkeeper Luke Priestley, to no avail, as MAC managed to hold off a relentless Maverick side to keep the match scoreless through the half.
The #3 seed came hard out of the gates to start the second 45, with Beadle shocking the home team with an unassisted attack that ended with the ball in the back of the net less than two minutes in. The Mounties seemed content to hold their ground and simply push the ball out of their end of the field whenever the powerful Medaille offense came calling. But a counter attack 17 minutes after the first goal caught the Mavericks off guard as a feed by midfielder Juan Camacho found Beadle in perfect position to finish for his second score of the day.
Only a penalty kick by Castillo with less than a minute remaining could mar the Cinderella performance by the Mounties.
Priestley finished the game with saves on 10 of 11 shots, including several point blank blasts to keep his team in contention.
The title is the second in program history. The Mount Aloysius men notched their first championship in 2015.
With the win, the Mounties also earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The pairings will be announced Monday.
All-Tournament Team
Pitt-Greensburg: Adam Yoder, Ross Hartley
Alfred State College: Andres Mateos, Jack Leahy
Pitt-Bradford: Chase Rider, Morounfoluwa Olorunyomi
Penn St. Behrend: Sean Abraham, John Ziobro
Medaille College: Ander Castillo, Charlie Stewart, Celso Juberias
Mount Aloysius College: Tevin Beadle, Luke Priestley, Rhett Pletcher