MOUNT LEBANON TWP — Olivia Rupert weaves to her right, stops, pivots and slings a shot left-handed from 10 yards away.

The ball sizzles past Mt. Lebanon goalie Noel Awad and into the cage for a goal.

It may seem like just another goal scored in just another girls lacrosse game, but it's not.

The Seneca Valley junior showed off her range and her dexterity — two traits that have already allowed Rupert to break the career scoring record for the Raiders and land a Division I scholarship at Robert Morris University.

“She has power and range, why not take advantage of that?” said Seneca Valley girls lacrosse coach Katie Smolter. “Goalies clearly aren't expecting that.”

Her skills didn't arrive by accident.

Since she first picked up a crosse in the sixth grade, Rupert has been a student and a slave to the game.

“The one thing I will say about Olivia is she works hard 365 days a year,” Smolter said. “I don't think there's a day she doesn't play lacrosse and that's apparent in her play.”

Rupert said she and her father would spend hours at a high school working on her shot.

Especially her left-handed one.

It's a skill few at the high school level can master and Rupert said this year she finally felt comfortable enough with her off-hand to unleash it.

“I got probably more of my goals left-handed than right-handed (this season),” Rupert said. “I'm really proud of that.”

After scoring nearly 200 goals in her first two seasons on attack, Rupert was moved to midfield this season.

Opponents also started zeroing in on her in 2019, which cut down on her goal-scoring production.

Rupert was often double-teamed and hounded wherever she went on the field.

In a season-ending loss to Mt. Lebanon, the Blue Devils were determined to take Rupert out of the game. She still came up with a goal, an assist and a few defensive stops to boot.

“It's challenging. It's definitely frustrating at points when I'm trying to drive or if I'm out at the 30 and I'm locked off,” Rupert said. “Obviously I want to score so I can achieve my standards for what I want.”

But Rupert also recognized that if two players were on her, surely one of her teammates was open.

Rupert's assists soared this season.

“Honestly, I worked more on assists this year,” Rupert said. “I went more for the draw, double and dump it into the center. For me it was about the team and how we can win games. It was an adjustment, but it was equally important to me.”

So was adjusting to her new role as a midfielder — a stark change to what her responsibilities were in the past on the attack.

“It was a lot more running,” Rupert said, chuckling. “I had to conserve my energy. Before when I was on attack, I could make cuts and run the ball.”

It also put more pressure on her to perform on defense — a role the diminutive Rupert embraced.

At 5-foot-3, she isn't the biggest player on the field by any means. But she more than made up for it with her speed and quickness.

“She's tiny, but she's a force,” Smolter said. “She sees an inch and she'll make a mile out of it.”

Rupert broke the career goal-scoring record at Seneca Valley earlier in the season, eclipsing the mark of 194 set by Karina Latsko, who is now a freshman at Butler University.

Rupert has a chance to put the record far out of reach with a strong senior season next spring.

After that, Rupert will head to RMU to play for her Pittsburgh Premiere club lacrosse coach, Katrina Silva.

“I'm excited that decision is made and off my shoulders,” Rupert said. “I had other opportunities to play at High Point University (in North Carolina) and Old Dominion. But I visited (RMU) and checked out the campus and I really liked it. I love my coaches for club, so I'm really excited to play there.”