Oberlander Nets Hat Trick; Lions Fall to W&J

WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson Presidents edged the Penn State Behrend women's soccer team 4-3 in non-conference action at Alexandre Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Ashton Grimm scored twice and assisted Tatiana Ruzzini on the eventual game winner in the 69^th minute to help the Presidents (2-2-1) snap the Lions (4-3) two game-winning streak. Jordan Oberlander (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) netted all three goals for Behrend, while Olivia Belack (Upper St. Clair, PA/Upper St. Clair) tallied one assist.

The game went scoreless for most of the first half and then both teams netted a goal four minutes apart to end the first 45 minutes at 1-all.  Grimm gathered a deflected shot and scored for a 1-0 lead for W&J at 28:23.

In the 33^rd minute, Oberlander buried a shot from right of the box to knot the game before halftime.

The Presidents did not want to wait as long to score in the second half like the first and got two quick ones for a 3-1 advantage. Karli-Ann Sanders and Grimm helped W&J to a comfortable lead, or so they thought.

At 48:33, Belack sent in a cross and Oberlander was there to tap it in off the goalie Allison Rinehimer to cut the lead to 3-2. Nearly 20 minutes later, Ruzzini finished the game winner after collecting the ball in the box and shooting it right post from 15 yards out.

Oberlander then got the hat trick in the 73^rd minute to pull the Lions within one once again. She gathered a long ball sent into the attack zone and pushed it past Rinehimer to make it 4-3.

Behrend could only get off one more shot in the final 17 minutes, taken by Belack with time expiring but it went high of the post.

The Lions return to action on Wednesday against Grove City at 7 p.m.