The Whitehall field hockey team is one step closer to earning a berth in the district finals.

Whitehall’s 6-2 victory over Liberty in the quarterfinals sets up a rematch against Stroudsburg which is scheduled for Nov. 4 at Pleasant Valley High School. The Mounties defeated the Zephyrs 2-1 in overtime two weeks ago in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals.

After receiving a first-round bye, the third-seeded Zephs opened district play against Liberty, a team they haven’t faced all season. After falling behind 1-0, the Zephs reeled off five consecutive goals to advance to the semifinals.

The Zephs have trailed their opponents a number of times this year, only to regroup and come back to win. That was the case against Moravian in the last game of the regular season and also against Northampton a few games prior.

The Hurricanes scored within the first five minutes, but despite that quick deficit, head coach Jennifer Bodnar was pleased with her team’s ability to once gain keep their composure and find a way to win.

“We played really well,” said Bodnar. “We had a defensive lapse when giving up that first goal, but then we regained our focus and controlled the tempo and tied the game.”

Kylee Cunningham scored the Zephs first goal, tying the game. The junior finished with two goals as did forward Cara Bonshak, with each player also recording an assist. They were part of a scoring barrage that saw the Zephs tally four goals within a six-minute span, giving them a 4-1 lead at halftime.

Bodnar said that their early deficit may have been the result of their own early success. She said they had two early corners, and perhaps they relaxed a bit once they found they could control much of the action against the ‘Canes.

But once they got down a goal, they realized they had to buckle down and play their game, relying on good defense, strong midfield play, and opportunistic offense.

That opened the scoring floodgates with Rachel Schannauer and Caitlin Cunningham also getting on the scoreboard.

The Zephs were also strong defensively with Taylor George and Schannauer controlling the midfield for the Zephs. George also had an assist, jumping into the offense as well as applying defensive pressure in the midfield. Bonder said they did a good job keeping the ‘Canes from establishing any offensive pressure, allowing her to make a number of substitutions in the second half.

Kayla Nailor had three saves in the win.

The win sets up another semifinal rematch with the Mounties. This time the Zephs will look to reverse the outcome.

Bonder said the key to victory is playing hard from the opening whistle to the final horn.

“We have to play a complete game,” said Bodnar. “We have to capitalize on our opportunities.”

She said it was not only important to capitalize on those opportunities, but create them as well. That means drawing corners, pressing the action and playing aggressively.

They also have to be sound defensively against an experienced, well-coached team. They have to maximize their possessions and then create opportunities and capitalize.