With two consecutive wins to close out the regular season, the Whitehall field hockey team will be looking to ride that momentum into the playoffs.

Their final game was a 1-0 shutout over Lehighton, a team that’s not far removed from a district championship, claiming the 1A title in 2018.

Head coach Jennifer Bodnar said that she was pleased with how they competed in their last game. In fact, it was how she hoped they would respond after the Allen game the day before, challenging them to come ready to play.

She said that they came out with a strong start, passing the ball well and playing a good overall game.

“I was very happy with how we played,” she said.

After a lull during the midway point of the game, Bodnar said that they kicked it back up in the second half, scoring a goal off a corner as Emma Bonshak “had a really nice tip on the ball.”

That goal stood up even though they went a bit off script in the final moments of the contest as they didn’t execute the game plan, said Bodnar. That allowed the Indians to get off some shots even as time expired.

That included defending two corners, but the Zephs weathered the storm with their defense standing tall, preserving the win.

“I was really proud of their defensive effort,” said Bodnar. “Overall, our defense came up with some nice saves at the end of the game.”

She also noted that playing Lehighton represented an opponent that was basically on par with them in relation to talent. She said this year’s scheduled offered very little middle ground as they played powerhouses Emmaus and Parkland, and then abruptly switched gears with tilts against rebuilding squads. The contest against Lehighton offered them a chance to compete in a more balanced game from start to finish.

The Zephyrs finished the season 5-6 and will play Emmaus in the opening round. Emmaus enters the playoffs a perfect 10-0, and the Zephyrs will have their hands full with the perennial powerhouse from Macungie Avenue.

The Green Hornets prevailed in their prior meetings, defeating the Zephs 13-0 in each game.

Still, their appearance represents a chance to extend their season and gives them another crack at the Hornets.

“We are in it,” said Bodnar. “Anytime you get the opportunity, it’s a good thing for your program.”

Their mission now is to enter the game after some really good preparation, and she said Monday’s practice was a step it the right direction. She said that they wanted to come out with a really good game plan and set goals for themselves. Toppling the titans from Emmaus will be a Herculean task, so she wants them to concentrate on preventing quality shots and just improve on the numbers from the last two meetings.

With the regular season now in the books, Bodnar said that it was hard to gain any consistency this season. Once again, that was a reflection of their schedule and the constant swing of their opponents. She said it was hard to get into a flow of a game if they were either ahead or behind by a large margin. And that was often the case this season.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t play a full game consistently and get a lot of things done,” she said.

Still, she was thankful they got to have a season and that their seniors got to play their final year for the maroon and gold.

“I’m excited that we got in that many games and had a successful season,” said Bodnar.