#1 Penn St. Behrend and #2 Pitt-Greensburg picked up semifinal victories on Wednesday evening to punch their tickets to the AMCC women's soccer championship game.
Penn St. Behrend 4, Mount Aloysius 0
Behrend senior F Alex Bilka and junior F/M Jordan Oberlander each scored twice to lead Penn State Behrend women's soccer team past Mt. Aloysius 4-0 in the semifinals of the AMCC Championships on Wednesday afternoon. The Lions (15-4) extend their win streak to 11 straight games and find themselves in the AMCC Championship game once again for a chance at a sixth consecutive title.
Junior F Olivia Belack was instrumental in the offense, assisting both goals by Oberlander to break the program record for most points in a season with 47. She also is now tied with the single-season record for assists with 11.
The Lions continued the hot streak from the regular season right into the playoffs with a pair of goals in the first 6:18 of the game. Bilka scored first for her sixth game-winning goal of the season off an assist from sophomore M Catherine Eichenlaub. Two minutes, 13 seconds after the opening whistle, Eichenlaub sent a pass from the left side and Bilka was there to one-touch it into the lower right side for a 1-0 lead.
Belack broke the single-season points record with her assist to Oberlander at the 6:18 mark. Belack played the through ball and Oberlander blasted a shot into the upper left corner to make it 2-0, before Bilka added her second goal with less than two minutes left in the first half on a penalty kick. Behrend had scored all four goals by the 46:30 mark of the game. Oberlander struck again thanks to Belack's soft cross from the right for a 4-0 advantage.
Freshman GK Sam Morlacci had three saves for her fifth win in goal and team's ninth shutout this season. Oberlander now has six goals in the last two games.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitt-Greensburg 2, Pitt-Bradford 0
It was the first-ever meeting in the postseason between the two Pittsburgh schools, and the Bobcats are the ones moving on to the AMCC championship match, snapping the Panthers' streak of four straight appearances.
The game was scoreless after the first 45 minutes with both teams combining for just eight shots in the opening stanza.
Pitt-Greensburg went ahead in the 51st minute on freshman M/F Jessica Moore's first goal, and she added a second tally in the 80th minute for good measure.
Pitt-Bradford's recent offensive struggles continued as the Panthers mustered just four shots in 90 minutes compared to the Bobcats' 15 attempts. Pitt-Greensburg held an 8-3 edge in corner kick opportunities.
Penn St. Behrend will take on Pitt-Greensburg for the AMCC crown on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Behrend Field. During the regular season, Behrend defeated Pitt-Greensburg, 8-0.