Upper Perkiomen's girls soccer team celebrates its Pioneer Athletic Conference championship.

            Sarah Fisher and Sara Edwards combined to provide the moment of brilliance their head coach called for prior to overtime of last week's Pioneer Athletic Conference girls soccer title game. It triggered a championship celebration.

            Fisher's goal on a penalty kick lifted the Upper Perkiomen to a 2-1 victory over Perkiomen Valley on Thursday, Oct. 20. Edwards' pass set up the score at Owen J. Roberts High School.

            "That's all we needed. One moment," said head coach Mike Freed, who registered his first league crown with the team. "In this case, it was actually two."

            Edwards' long vertical through ball, threaded between two Vikings defenders, set up Fisher for a potential breakaway. Instead, Fisher was tripped from behind in the penalty box, and the referees called for a penalty kick.  "The pass was pretty damn sweet," the coach said.

            Edwards knew the pass would put Fisher in a fortuitous position. Edwards said she figured her teammate was either going to score or get fouled.  "I had a good first touch," Edwards said. "I felt pretty good about it."

            On the decisive kick, Perkiomen Valley goalkeeper Olivia Hulayew lunged to her right. Fisher converted her shot to the opposite side to secure the Tribe's third overtime win of the season.

            "I knew Sarah would make the shot," said Edwards, a senior forward who lives in East Greenville. "This win means everything. We worked really hard for four years to accomplish this."

            The overtime goal clinched the Indians' first conference title since 2008 and completed their first come-from behind victory of the season. They trailed for the first time this season when Vikings junior Mia Milleo scored on a one-timer less than five minutes into the second half.

            Down 1-0, Freed said he wondered how the Indians (19-0-1) would react. According to Edwards, the players felt the pressure.

            "Falling behind was nerve wracking," she said. "But we were not going to give up. We wanted this more than anything. We were not going to quit."

            The No. 1 seeded Tribe, which suffered a 3-0 loss to the host Wildcats in last year's conference title game, amped up its offensive effort. Less than three minutes later, Edwards registered a quality scoring opportunity off a pass from Fisher on the left wing. However, Hulayew saved Edwards' header.

            Edwards delivered the game-tying goal with 11:55 remaining in regulation. She converted a direct kick from the 25-yard line that bent into the top left corner of the net.  "I played it perfectly," Edwards said.

            Upper Perkiomen matched the high level of intensity brought by the No. 3 seeded Vikings (14-4-2), who defeated the defending champion Wildcats in the semifinals. According to Freed, they played his team relatively straight up after focusing heavily on Owen J. Roberts standout Alexa Vogelman in the previous round.

            Goalkeeper Eva Long finished with eight saves.

            "Defensively we were sound," Freed said. "That's been so nice to have. [Long] is so calm [in the net]. For a kid playing in her first year, I can't rave enough."

            The Indians' best scoring opportunity came late in the first half. Erin Edwards' shot, which was tipped by Hulayew, hit the crossbar.

            The PAC victory catapulted the Tribe into the No. 1 seed in the District One Class 3A playoffs. Following a first-round bye, it will host a quarterfinal-round game at 6 p.m. on Thursday against either Marple Newtown or Upper Moreland.

            Freed said he believes his team can make a deep postseason run.

            "Part of me is elated and thrilled about this finish," the coach said. "The other part is thinking about districts. This kind of resilience, when you face adversity, can carry you far."