PASADENA, Calif. — Calla Williams (Fr., Longwood, Fla./Lyman) buried a man-up opportunity with 25 seconds left in the second overtime period to make her inaugural collegiate goal a game-winner as the Lions of Penn State Behrend solved host the California Institute of Technology, 15-14, in overtime at Braun Pool.
The victory marks the first of the season for Penn State Behrend as the Lions return home with a 1-8 record, while Caltech falls to 1-6.
The contest all Beavers in the early going as Mia Mutadich put the Beavers on the board first off an assist from Emma Gurcan to stake the home team to a 1-0 lead with 7:12 left in the first quarter. Following a strike by Gurcan off an assist by Madelyn Gilbert at 4:53 to push Caltech ahead 2-0, The margin continued to expand as Gurcan struck again off an assist from Tyler Fox at 3:57 prior to Gilbert cashing in a feed from Maya Dickson at 3:16 to provide the home team a 4-0 lead.
Marley Persch (Jr., Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) responded for Penn State Behrend at 2:52 by converting an assist from Darragh Martin (So., Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) at 2:52 to move the Lions back to within three goals at 4-1.
Gilbert responded for Caltech 22 seconds into the second quarter to return the spread to four at 5-1, but Nic Darrell (Jr., Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) accepted a pass from Susie Carrillo (So., Fresno, Calif./Clovis North Educational Center) and rifled in a man-up opportunity at 5:50 to once again close the Lions to within three at 5-2.
Maya Dickson delivered a response for Caltech at 4:23 to return the gap to four at 6-2 prior to Carrillo connecting with Martin at 4:07 to move Penn State Behrend back to within three at 6-3.
Carrillo chipped the Lions’ deficit down to 6-4 with a power-play tally at 1:35 by cashing in a man-up bid before Darrell deposited a helper from Dylan Scherping (Fr., Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) with 10 seconds remaining in the first half to make it a 6-5 contest entering halftime.
The deadlock lasted 18 seconds into the third quarter as Margin won the sprint and Persch zipped a shot into the twine wit 7:42 on the clock to square the squads at six-all.
Persch struck again off an assist from Darrell at 6:17 to provide Penn State Behrend its inaugural lead of the contest at 7-6. Mutadich delivered an answer for Caltech at 6:04 off a feed from Gurcan to balance the scoreboard at seven-all, but Persch swished another chance off an assist from Martin at 5:13 to go ahead 8-7.
A man-up strike by Fox off an assist from Gilbert at 3:33 tied the game at eight-all before Carrillo lined in a pass from Scherping at 1:29 to put Penn State Behrend back in front at 9-8. The lead lasted until the two seconds mark of the third quarter as Gilbert banked in a shot as the teams appeared destined to enter the final eight minute of regulation even at nine-all.
However, Gurcan was called for a penalty foul one second later and Carrillo arched in the ensuing opportunity to place the Lions ahead 10-9 to start the fourth quarter.
Following a missed penalty shot at 5:28 which would have expanded the margin to 11-9, Caltech struck back with 4:39 left in regulation as Gurcan cashed in a pass from Gilbert to make it a 10-all game.
Gilbert and Gurcan flipped the script at 3:25 to put Caltech ahead 11-10, but Darrell found Olivia Wright (Sr., Fairview, Pa./Fairview) for the equalizer via a man-up marker at 2:56 to return balance at 11-all.
Neither team was able to produce another goal in regulation to bring on a pair of three-minute overtime periods.
In the first OT frame, Wright dished off a pass to Carrillo who swished the scoring bid at 1:18 to push Penn State Behrend ahead 12-11. The duo traded places with 38 seconds on the clock as Wright found Carrillo to widen the gap between the two programs to 13-11 in favor of the Lions.
Caltech refused to go down without a fight, however, as Emma Titus finished a pass from Dickson with 19 seconds left in the first overtime period to make it a 13-12 game.
The Beavers evened the damage at 13-all with 1:58 left in the second OT period as Mutadich deposited a helper from Dickson. Carrillo returned Penn State Behrend to the lead at 1:07, but a penalty call against Williams allowed Dickson to convert the tying strike via a penalty shot with 42 seconds remaining until the commencement of sudden death/victory overtime.
Williams vindicated herself, however, by putting away the eventual game-winning goal on a man-up bid with 25 seconds left as the Lions escaped with a 15-14 overtime win.
For Caltech, Gilbert (four goals, three assists), Gurcan (three goals, three assists), Mutadich (three goals), Dickson (two goals, three assists), Fox (one goal, one assist) and Titus (one goal) combined for the Beavers’ offense. Mahi Ravi took the loss with four saves and 10 goals allowed in 22 minutes, while Elizabeth Field turned aside two shots and permitted five scores in 16 minutes of action.
Carrillo (five goals, three assists) and Persch (four goals) inflicted the majority of the damage for Penn State Behrend. Darrell (two goals, two assists), Wright (two goals, one assist), Martin (one goal, two assists), Williams (one goal) and Scherping (two assists) accounted for the remainder of the offense in support of a 12 save, seven steal performance by goalkeeper Moncia Villasenor (Fr., San Gabriel, Calif./La Salle).
