The Whitehall field hockey team ran into another talented opponent last Saturday, and couldn’t find the right mix to defeat visiting Moravian Academy.

The Lions came into the contest with a gaudy 15-1 record, the lone blemish a 4-3 loss to Parkland.

As the game unfolded, Whitehall and Moravian were looking to get some traction in a tight contest. The Lions were clinging to a one-goal lead to begin the second half, and the Zephyrs were exerting pressure on Moravian’s defense, getting a number of corners to begin the final stanza.

Whitehall was trailing 2-1 and got some opportunities off those corners, but goalkeeper Brienna Gable turned away their shots, one on an excellent stick save.

The Lions withstood that pressure and began to assert their own offensive charge. The Lions extended their lead with a little over six minutes remaining. After an initial stop by goalkeeper Kayla Nailor, who turned away a number of shots, the Lions kept the ball alive and eventually found the back of the cage as Cassie Romanczuk scored to make it 3-1.

From that point, it seemed like the air was sucked out of Whitehall as it allowed another goal to make the final 4-1, dropping its record to 9-6.

Head coach Jennifer Bodnar said that they allowed the Lions too many opportunities. They gave up 11 defensive corners.

“With a team that skilled, we just can’t give up that many chances,” she said.

Nailor made 17 saves in the contest for the Zephyrs.

The Zephyrs played perhaps their best game of the year against Emmaus just two days before meeting the Lions. It was a far cry from the 9-0 drubbing they experienced at Emmaus’ home field, this time withstanding an early goal and then buckling down to shut out the Green Hornets the rest of the way. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to find the back of the cage and lost 1-0.

It was a vastly superior effort and Bodnar said the team talked about playing aggressively and really taking it to Emmaus on its home turf. She said they made a committed effort to initiate the action.

She also said that they passed really well in the game and relied on one another throughout the game.

“The girls really bought in,” said Bodnar.

She said that once Emmaus scored that early goal, the doubts began to creep in that another blowout was in store, but as the game developed and they kept Emmaus off the scoreboard, their confidence grew.

“They all just stepped up and played a really nice game,” said Bodnar.

Bodnar said that the majority of the game was played in the midfield, and while the Zephs had their chances, they just couldn’t capitalize.

While she was “overly happy” with her team’s defensive effort against the Hornets, she was disappointed in the job it did against the Lions, giving up all those defensive corners.

Cara Bonshak scored the lone goal for the Zephyrs in the loss to Moravian.

The Zephyrs bounced back with a 5-1 win over Hazleton on Monday night.

The Zephyrs have qualified for districts and are still in the hunt for an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference wild card playoff spot. They just need to be consistent, something that’s plagued them this season.

“I think that’s been the story of our season so far, we’ve been really inconsistent,” said Bodnar.

Bodnar said the losses to Emmaus and Moravian served as a learning experience, noting that they’ll be taking things from each game. Bodnar is also excited about getting in some practice time this week, something that’s been difficult lately with the team’s schedule.

The Zephs close out the regular season against Parkland on Wednesday.