Liberty’s run in the East Penn Conference field hockey tournament didn’t last long, as the Hurricanes lost 3-2 to Liberty on Saturday in the first round of the tournament.

After taking a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to a first half goal by McKenna Burkhardt, Easton found the back of the cage three times to hold for the win.

Hailey Couch, Ellie McIntyre and Erica Tarsi spurred the Easton comeback in the second half, much to the dismay of Hurricane boss Mary Kate Omdahl.

“We’re extremely disappointed because we knew we had the ability to win,” Omdahl said. “We did not execute. Everyone needs to step up and perform at the level that they are capable of.”

Entering the tournament as the fifth seed, Liberty (13-6, 12-4) had hopes of moving to this week’s semifinals against top-seeded Emmaus, but after splitting their season series with Easton during the regular season, the Rovers showed they had the advantage in their playoff opener.

“It really came down to heart,” said Omdahl. “We talked about intrinsic motivation and heart at the conclusion of the game. Easton appeared to want that win more than we did.”

The Hurricanes now play the waiting game ahead of next week’s District 11 3A tournament, where they’ll wait to see what seed they’ll get.

With 10 teams qualified for the postseason, Liberty should stay in the sixth seed heading into next week, which could force them to open up district play against Whitehall (15-3).

“We’ll work hard physically and prepare mentally for the next game,” Omdahl said. “We have an idea who we will be playing over the next three days, so we’ll start preparing to play against that style.”

Freedom (9-8) will jump into districts as the lowest seed and will likely be put in a bracket with Emmaus.

The Patriots are also likely to play a pigtail opener.