Just a week before facing Parkland in a District 11 field hockey playoff game, Stroudsburg head coach Jennifer Lobasso declared that her team was the second-best high school team in the nation. The Mounties lost the league title game to Emmaus after holding a 1-0 lead most of the game, and the Hornets are the top-ranked team in the nation.

Following that logic, Parkland could claim to be the third-best team in the nation. The Trojans took Stroudsburg to overtime last week in the first round of the District 11 playoffs.

The Trojans did everything they could to keep Stroudsburg from scoring in regulation, but the Mounties finally slipped a rebounded shot past Parkland keeper Brie Baracco during the seven-on-seven overtime for a 1-0 win.

“We had an excellent game, maximum effort from everybody,” said Parkland head coach Lizzy Millen. “We really started off strong. We had a little bit more difficulty in the second half but I couldn’t be more proud of the effort they gave.”

The teams played somewhat evenly in the first half, but when the second half started Stroudsburg controlled possession and created several scoring chances.

The Mounties earned 13 corners in the second half of last Wednesday’s playoff game, which was played at Stroudsburg High School. The Trojans defended each one of them to keep the game scoreless through regulation.

Parkland’s corner defense is led by seniors Hanna Daniels and Jenna Lysakowski, along with juniors Kelsey Higgins and Allie Bianco.

“We really were practicing our defensive corners before this game and they played all the positions really well,” said Millen. “They did exactly what we wanted them to do.”

Barraco, a junior and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference First Team goal keeper, stopped 13 shots in the game.

“She played exceptional,” said Millen. “She’s a force to be reckoned with. I always trust Brie being back there. She made very smart decisions. We’ve been working on her staying on her feet more and she did it perfectly.”

The Mountaineers finally got one past Barraco when EPC Most Valuable Player Julianna Sweeney came up with a rebound off a Barraco save and sent it to the back of the cage before the Parkland keeper could get back into position.

The No. 7 seed Trojans were out-shot 14-2 in the game as the No. 2 Mounties moved on to beat Easton in Monday’s semifinals and took on Emmaus in Wednesday’s title game.

Parkland finishes the season at 11-8-1 after two straight 1-0 playoff losses to Stroudsburg to end the season.

“I was a little disappointed with the end of our season,” said Millen. “We kind of hit a rough patch, but all in all, huge improvements from last year. I can’t be upset with that. Also, this last game was just a huge turnaround from what we had been doing the last few games. I’m very pleased with what they’ve produced the entire season.”

While it’s only her second year at the helm, Millen formed a bond with her senior players over the past two years and had only fond words for the five of them as they parted ways.

“I’m going to miss them a lot,” she said. “Being my second year, it’s hard to say good-bye to them since I worked with them longer. They’re just all in all a very skilled group. They all work hard in the offseason and they’re very committed. That’s what I want our program to continue as we move forward.”

Graduating Parkland field hockey seniors include Daniels, Lysakowski, Cozette El-Kik, Kora Murphy and Grace Royer.