It took nearly 58 minutes, but the Parkland field hockey team came through when it mattered most.

Locked in a scoreless matchup with Whitehall (1-4 overall; 0-3 in LVC) on Tuesday evening at Parkland High School, overtime seemed destined unless something changed in game's final moments.

That's when freshman forward Grace Royer came through with the game's only goal. Following a cross by junior Brooke Sherwin, Royer cleaned up a loose ball in front of Whitehall's goal with a little over two minutes to play, giving the Trojans (3-2 overall; 2-1 in LVC) a 1-0 lead, a margin they would go on to win by.

"It was really a big goal for me because it's my second one of the season," Royer said. "I'm really proud of myself for making it, not only as a freshman, but just to be playing varsity."

After a first half in which the Zephyrs failed to get a shot on goal, Whitehall had plenty of opportunities on target in the final 30 minutes. None of their six shots produced any goals, but the Trojans understood the importance of getting a score.

"We thought we needed a goal, and we didn't put it together until the second half," Royer said. "It finally hit us that we really needed to get a goal."

"Unfortunately, sometimes it takes us a little bit to get started," said Parkland head coach Michelle Steele. "We're a young team. We're coming together. There's a lot of learning going on here. There's a lot of positive things. But we definitely felt that pressure toward the end."

The win not only kept rival Whitehall winless in the LVC, but the Trojans went over the .500 mark with the victory. In the eyes of Steele, it's a confidence booster for her young squad moving forward.

"The biggest thing I think for the team, being young, is it's a confidence builder for them," Steele said. "Every win helps them believe more and more that they can do this."

"It's amazing when you beat a team like that," Royer said. "It helps our confidence more."

Royer's goal was her second of the young season. She is one of 10 freshmen on the Trojans' roster, and one important aspect of the game is shaping the team for the future.

"My main thing as the head coach is trying to build for seasons to come," Steele said. "Luckily, we did have a very strong freshman class coming in. Therefore I'm trying to work them in as much as possible."