NORTHAMPTON — Athletes in every sport get branded with the word “Superstar” because they perform at their best in the postseason.

In Pleasant Valley’s 17-5 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinal girls lacrosse win over Nazareth Thursday night, Devon Bush scored seven goals in the Bears’ victory.

The senior midfielder now has 83 goals this season — 371 for her career — and by adding to her assist totals, she has surpassed 500 total points.

“My success is because of my teammates,” said Bush. “They open lanes for me to work my dodge moves that allow me to get good shot placements on goal.”

The lopsided score was not evident in the first period of play.

Nazareth’s Mia Pulliam scored with just a minute gone by to give the Blue Eagles a 1-0 lead. Bush tied the game a half-minute later and at the 9:07 mark, Olivia Iandoli — who tallied a hat trick in the game— hit the back of the net for the Bears to make it 2-1.

The Eagles not only kept pace with the top seed, they took a 3-2 lead following goals by Keely Kershner and another with 1:37 left in the first period when Kherington Smith scored on a pass from Julia Novak. For Novak, the assist marked her 200th career point.

Just 18 seconds later, Bush scored her second goal to knot the score at three going into the second period.

“They came out strong, and gave us some early trouble,” said PV head coach Toni Bush. “But we knew going in this was not going to be a walk in the park. We tried to prepare for anything and everything.”

Following a great stop by Nazareth goalie Allison Aroche-Pelaez 20 seconds into the second period, Bush put her team up 4-3 when she scored again at 10:37.

Nearly two minutes later after a Nazareth turnover in its offensive zone, Bush tallied her fourth goal. And with 7:47 left before the halftime intermission, PV sophomore Samantha Miller split the goal posts for a 6-3 Bears’ advantage.

The Eagles stayed within striking range when Pulliam scored her second goal to cut the deficit to two, but that would be the closest Nazareth would get. Rylee Rath and Morgan Ryals hit the twine for an 8-4 PV lead at the break.

“We put Devon on the draw to try to gain more possessions after goals were scored,” said Coach Bush. ‘’We had anticipated a close game with more physical pressure from them, but we kept our poise and I thought we played very well, especially in the second half.”

The second half was played almost entirely in a driving rainstorm, causing more turnovers from both teams, but the unsettling weather did not deter PV from taking control.

Bush scored three more goals and her teammates — Iandoli and Rylee Rath — also knocked the ball home. Ryals, who lit up the scoreboard four times, including three times in a span of five minutes during the fourth period.

Pleasant Valley now looks forward to the EPC title game to be played May 13 at 5:05 p.m. on the Northampton football field. The Bears will take on Emmaus for the championship.

“We’ve played them a few times before in championship games,” said Coach Bush. “We expect another physical contest. We’ll prepare and be ready to go.”

DEE-FENSE! ... The Bears’ defense has been outstanding all season long, having allowed just 67 goals in 19 games. “For us, the key is communication as to whether to stay or switch,” explained Coach Bush, “and if what we begin with isn’t working, then I’ll ask the girls what they prefer to do. We can change on the fly.”

GAME-CHANGER … After scoring two goals in the first two periods, Nazareth’s Pulliam left with an injury and did not return. Her absence appeared to ground the Eagles after they had been flying high around the Bears’ goal for much of the first half.

Nazareth 3 1 0 1 - 5

Pleasant Valley 3 5 3 6 - 17

Goals: Nazareth - Pulliam 2, Smith 1, Kershner 1, Koch 1; Pleasant Valley - Bush 7, Ryals 4, Iandoli 3, R. Rath 2, Miller 1; Assists: Nazareth - Novak 1; Pleasant Valley - Bush 3, R. Rath 2, Iandoli 1; Saves: Nazareth - Aroche-Pelaez 6; Pleasant Valley - Borger 6.

Records: Nazareth (14-4); Pleasant Valley (17-2).