OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City's Henrique Duarte found the perfect time for his first goal of the season, finding the back of the John Brown net with 71 seconds left in overtime to give the Stars their second consecutive Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.
 
The Stars defended their title with the 2-1 victory and earned the league's automatic berth to the NAIA Tournament. The Opening Round sites will be announced at 5 p.m., Friday.
 
Picked second in the preseason SAC poll and with no votes in the previous national poll, the Stars proved themselves with a tournament run that saw OCU outscore opponents 12-3.
 
"It's been a long, hard battle for them and they just keep proving it," said OCU Head Coach Billy Martin. "That just shows what type of team they have been this year. They go down by a goal and they don't stop playing. They kept playing and they found a way to win. They really pulled together and have become a very close team in the past month and you can see it off the field and on the field. They deserve it for sure."
 
After a scoreless first half, John Brown took the first lead in the 58^th minute when Atim Roper used an assist from Gabriel Cabrera in the 58^th minute.
 
That lead was equalized in the 61^st minute when OCU drew a foul in the box and Francisco Miquel buried the penalty kick for his ninth goal of the season and fifth of the postseason.
 
Neither team could score in the final 21 minutes and overtime ensued.
 
OCU had three shots in overtime while the defense kept JBU from threatening. Duarte, known more for his defensive prowess, converted the goal on a double assist. Ethan Taylor had a long throw-in, headed by Harrison Knight toward Duarte, who buried the kick to the left side of the goal for the game-winner, electrifying the home crowd.
 
The Stars had 13 shots for the game.
 
OCU picked up its 14^th win of the season, matching the OCU high for Martin as head coach. Last year's squad finished with 14 wins as well.