Box Score

READING, Pa. - Albright's Dave Harig knocked away Caleb Fick's pass to Matt Donley in double overtime as the Lions came back to win, 44-43, in a heart-stopping game at Shirk Stadium.

In a game that meant a likely NCAA at-large berth for the winner, the Lions (9-1, 6-1 MAC) pounced on every LVC mistake in the second half after falling behind 16-0 at the half, and the Dutchmen (8-2, 5-2 MAC) let multiple opportunities slip by.

Lebanon Valley will now have to hope for an ECAC Bowl berth to extend its season; bids will be announced Monday. NCAA bids will be announced Sunday during a live selection show on ESPN News starting at 3 p.m.

LVC's Brittany Ryan missed a 25-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation that would have put the Dutchmen (8-2, 5-2 MAC) up, and after the sides traded touchdowns in both overtimes, LVC elected to go for two and the win in the second period but came up short.

"I felt like we weren't going to stop Albright," said head coach Jim Monos. "I felt like, 'Let's go for the win. We have the momentum.'"

Charlie Parker had scored on a four-yard run in the first overtime, and Scott Pillar caught an incredible 30-yard pass on fourth-down to keep the game alive for Albright; in the second extra period, Pillar grabbed a wide-open seven-yard look on the first go-round, and Joe Brennan caught an easy two-yard pass on fourth down.

It all capped a wild and dramatic game that saw Albright starting quarterback Tanner Kelly get knocked out of the game on a first-drive sack by Will Keylor, but back-up Patrick Subers stepped in to throw for 362 yards and five touchdowns while running for 53 more.

Fick threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns of his own, while Parker pieced together his 17th career 100-yard game with 139 yards and two touchdowns.

"We had our chances in the fourth quarter," Monos said. "These kids really wanted to go to the big show, and we had our chances, but we didn't make it."

An aggressive LVC defense made it look easy as they helped the offense work up a 16-0 halftime lead, but Albright was equal to the task in the second half, storming back to tie the game in the fourth quarter at 23-23.

Ju'rey Fowlkes' first interception of Subers led to Brennan's nine-yard, one-handed haul to open the scoring, giving LVC a quick 7-0 lead.

Albright was backed up the two in tthe second quarter before Josan Holmes was dropped by Bruno Iozzo and Zach Bleiler for a safety.

After a pass-interference call, a big run by Bryan Lynch set LVC up in the red zone, and Ben Guiles slipped 18 yards to the end zone. Fick hit Donovan on a 35-yard hook-up to start the second half, and that led to Parker's two-yard punch up the middle three plays later.

Albright then mounted its first real threat of the game after Suber's 44-yard pass to Pillar, but Fowlkes picked Suber off at the one to end the drive. The Dutchmen went three-and-out, and after a punt gave Albright great field-position, Pillar won a jump-ball on first-down to pull in a 42-yard TD. The Lions failed on the two-point try.

After stopping LVC at midfield, Albright got it back on a failed fake punt, and Suber's long run, and a string of LVC penalties, put the Lions at the LVC 11. The Dutchmen defense stepped up and stopped a pass and two runs, and an Albright personal foul brought up 4th-and-17 with the goal line to go for John Whelan's 36-yard field goal.

The momentum swung firmly on Albright's side at the end of the third quarter, and the Lions ended a quick-strike drive with a Suber pass to Romig to cut the Dutchman lead to 23-16.

A quick three-and-out gave Albright the ball back, and after a couple of Suber runs, the back-up found Sean Caldwell on an incredible jump-ball catch at the one, setting up Holmes' one-yard punch-in to tie the game.

But the Dutchmen mounted a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ate 5:23 off the clock and ended when Fick went over the top to Donovan on a 27-yard strike to the back corner to retake the lead.

Albright marched right back and tied the game with their own 10-play, 76-yard drive, capped by Suber's nine-yard pass to Romig on a fourth-and-three conversion.

LVC had just under three minutes to take the lead, and after Tim Picerno's great return to midfield was wiped out by a holding call, another holding flag erased Parker's eight-yard run. After two runs went nowhere, Fick gambled with a long pass downfield to Brennan, and a 47-yard basket-catch by the senior put LVC on the Albright 29-yard line. With a chance to put her team on top with 14 seconds left, Ryan pushed a 25-yard field goal attempt wide right, sending it to OT.