“It was a long bus ride, and we got there early, and I was nervous we would come out flat and not play hard, but we did,’’ said the sophomore goalie from Weymouth.

Her stress only escalated after posting her third straight shutout in regulation to send the game to a shootout.

“Overtime itself is nerve-racking when you’re playing golden goal, and (penalty kicks) are probably the worst,’’ Dempsey said. “I was able to make one save and have another hit the post. PKs are so nerve-racking, anything can happen. Luckily, we came out on top in the end.’’

After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Owls edged Brandeis, connecting on four of their five tries in the shootout to dethrone the two-time defending champion. And Dempsey was a deserving choice for tourney MVP.

“That was awesome, it wasn’t just me, it was definitely the whole team that played well,’’ Dempsey said.

Dempsey was credited with five saves in the game, including a stop on Brandeis sophomore midfielder Ali Theodore of Walpole in the 22nd minute.

Dempsey also turned back the only shot put on net in overtime and made a diving stop on Brandeis’s first bid in the shootout. Dempsey, who finished the season with nine shutouts, was able to share the title with her twin sister, Melissa, a back on the Owls. Both celebrated their title in front of their parents and grandfather. “I miss (Massachusetts),’’ Dempsey said, “but it was nice to beat a Mass. team.’’

One of the most prolific scorers in program history, Mulry has 31 career goals and 66 points, with three hat tricks.

The Beacons were knocked out of the ECAC New England Tournament Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to the University of New England. Three minutes after UNE went up, 2-0, Mulry collected her own rebound and scored her team-leading 17th goal of the season.

Her 37 points are one point and one goal shy of the Beacons’ career marks for both. “I think this season was important for our program as far as proving to the Little East Conference that we are not a fluke,’’ said Mulry. “Last year, we did pretty well, and a lot of people counted it as luck. This year, we almost doubled our wins and ended up being seeded third for playoffs.

“I think its going to be hard for teams to say that a 14-5-1 (5-1-1) record was lucky. Even though we lost, it was still something that no one in our program’s history has done.’’

The Cohasset High School athletic department is looking to start a Hall of Fame; any interested party can contact athletic director Ron Ford at 781-383-6103 or rford@cohassetk12.org. . . .

For the second straight year, the Oliver Ames softball team received national recognition for academics. The team ranks 14th among the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Top 50 schools with an average GPA of 3.808.