The Salisbury field hockey team pulled off an upset over Bangor during the regular season. The Falcons got an opportunity to do it again in the postseason against the No. 2 seed Slaters.

Bangor, however, was able to gain a bit of revenge with the stakes a bit higher in the district tournament. The Slaters downed No. 3 Salisbury 4-1 in the District 11 Class 2A semifinals Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Nazareth High School.

It was the second straight season that Salisbury had qualified for the district tournament.

“Our team gave what they could and battled until the final whistle,” Falcon head coach Jane Brennan said. “Bangor is a strong, solid team that has talented players. We knew that going in. We upset them during the regular season, so we knew that they would come back at us with everything.”

The Slaters wasted no time in jumping on the Falcons early on. Senior forward Alyson Kiss scored all three goals for Bangor in the first half, and its defense kept the Falcons out of the cage for a 3-0 lead going into intermissions. The third of her three goals came in the final 40 seconds of the first half.

Salisbury had its chances in the second half, and a goal from senior forward Alicia Burkhardt got the blue and white on the scoreboard. Junior Katie Rutt set up Burkhardt’s goal to shift momentum onto Salisbury’s sideline, but that’s as close as the Falcons would get.

“After that we had a four-minute stretch that allowed us for opportunities that we were not able to find the back of the cage,” Brennan said. “When they scored their fourth and final goal, we continued to play with heart as we have done all year.”

The Slaters put the final nail in the coffin with just over three minutes to play to take a commanding 4-1 lead. The win advanced the Slaters to the championship game against No. 1 seed Southern Lehigh, which defeated East Stroudsburg North (9-0) in the semifinals.

The loss ends Salisbury’s season in the district tournament for the second straight season, but it finished with a winning record and reversed the culture of the program that has seen its struggles in recent seasons.

“The program is only as good as its players,” Brennan said. “These girls came in with the want and desire and just needed to understand the commitment to each other. They did have to learn how to win and compete in some close games-three going into overtime and ending in a win. They are passionate players.”