DALLAS, Pa.– Tonight's MAC Freedom Championship match was the seventh post-season game in the last 20 years between Eastern University and Misericordia University. The only time that both teams scored a goal in any of those matches came in Misericordia's 2-1 overtime win in 1997. Add to that fact the reality that every match between MAC Freedom playoff teams had been won by shutout, and things looked pretty dire for the Eastern Eagles when they trailed 1-0 late in the match. First-year forward Jake Sankey, however, helped the Eagles to buck those trends when he knocked in a rebound with 88 seconds left in regulation to extend the match to overtime.

Both teams had chances in overtime, but neither team scored, and the second-seeded Eagles (14-3-3) claimed a second-consecutive MAC Freedom Championship in penalty kicks. All five Eastern shooters converted on their shots, and Quentine Keibler, the hero of Tuesday's shootout win over King's, made another stop and claimed a MVP honors.

The shootout almost did not happen. Misericordia's Vincenzo Diliberti had a header in the box in the 110th minute.  The shot beat Keibler, but Jadon Ramsing headed off the goal line to again extend the match.

Ramsing led off the shootout and converted his seventh kick from the spot this year.

"Once Jadon made his," Head Coach Mark Wagner said, "we felt very good. We have great confidence in him, but he took one here in the regular season and they saw the shootout against King's as well. We thought Q [Keibler] would get one."

Misericordia answered Ramsing's strike with a make.

Cade Harmon put his shot away, and then Keibler made a big stop going to his left. That window was all the Eagles needed. Sankey, Colin Furlong, and Jacob Myers converted to lift the Eagles to the title. It is the first back-to-back championship in program history. The two shootout wins matches the accomplishment of the 2005 PAC Championship team that was recently inducted into Eastern's Hall of Honor.

Misericordia took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute, on a neat finish by Trey Ziegler off a cross from the right side.

Both teams had chances as the first half progressed, but the Eagles saw time running out on their year and started to make moves to get more pressure on the Misericordia goal. The Eastern staff moved Myers, an All-Conference center back into the midfield with fifteen minutes to go in the first half.

He stayed in the midfield for the next 80 minutes. Myers had a left-footed strike from the top of the box in the 66th minute, but Misericordia keeper Patrick Hoffman made the save. By the end of the match, Myers and Sankey were playing as twin strikers with a pair of wingers as Wagner and his staff pushed their side into a three-back set.

Misericordia defended several corners and restarts in the final 20 minutes before Eastern picked up a free kick from midfield with just under two minutes to play. Jake Cahill drove the restart at the goal and Myers delivered a glancing header toward the lower corner. Hoffman made the save but left a rebound. Sankey pushed his sixth goal of the year across the line to extend the match.

Keibler finsihed with six saves in the run of play and one huge stop in the shootout.

The win gives the Eagles the MAC Freedom's Automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Details of where and when will be made available immediately after the NCAA Selection show.