Over the past two seasons, Catasauqua's field hockey program has managed to move from a stalled state to high gear in which they have made the district playoffs.

This year, the sixth-seeded Roughies drew third-seeded Moravian Academy in district play, only to drop a 4-2 decision that ended their season with a 10-8-2 overall mark.

Head coach Carey Saul, who has been the architect of the Roughies' recent surge, certainly was pleased with her team's recent developments .

"I really enjoyed this season," said Saul, who previously coached at Phillipsburg prior to joining Catasauqua. "We definitely improved on last season. We created more scoring opportunities and we prevented the other team's odd-man rushes.

"We were able to put the best team on the field at nearly all times. We had a tough draw in Moravian (Academy) in districts and they are a very fast team. It was a tough draw for us, but we played as well as we could.

"But we have grown the program and made districts two years in a row, so that's a plus for us."

Even though her team dropped a 4-2 decision to Northampton in their season-opener, Saul was confident the tone of the season was set.

"We lost to them 4-0 last year in the opener and we really weren't in the game," recalled Saul. "This year, we played really well in the opener and we were able to build the whole season from that game."

Saul is disappointed to see six seniors leaving the program, all of whom have played an integral part in the program over the past four years.

Goalie Janae Matos, who was recently named to the Colonial League Second Team, recorded eight shutouts and was a leader on many fronts. Defenders Rachel Sell and Shea O'Brien also were major factors in the team's defensive scheme.

"Janae (Matos) was very steady in the nets for us and was a very vocal leader on this team," said Saul. "Rachel (Sell) was a stalwart for us the past two years and she will truly be missed. Shea (O'Brien) always was very active and helped changed the atmosphere out there."

Up front, forwards Katie Buczynski and Michaela Waldrop were consistent throughout the year and fellow senior Celeste Barona was a first-year player who proved to be a contributor.

"Katie (Buczynski) and Michaela (Waldrop) did a nice job for us the past two years and Celeste (Barona) didn't see a lot of playing time but she did some nice things for us."

Despite the loss of the seniors, Saul sees a continuing progression for the club in the future, as the Roughies will return sophomores Hannah Edwards (14 goals, 23 assists) and Quinn Bachman (15g, 4a) as the team's two leading scorers.

Saul also believes her program has been a vibrant one as she has had 28 girls the past two seniors. In retrospect, it isn't as large as having as many as 48 girls in the program at Phillipsburg, but it is still serving its purpose.

"We're a small school and those numbers have been good for us," stated Saul. "When I was at Phillipsburg, we had a freshman team. But I'm happy because our numbers have really been solid."

With a strong core coming back into the fold and a team that has been playoff tested, Saul likes her team's chances.

"We'll have a good group back and we'll have girls who will be going to camps and playing in leagues during the summer," said Saul. "We expect our girls and our program to continue to grow."