Northwestern head coach Kelly Bleam knows just how important it is to put away quality shots when the opportunities present themselves. The Lady Tigers weren’t able to do that in the first half of last week’s District 11 Class 2A semifinals, and it cost them.

Locked in a 1-1 game with less than 17 minutes remaining in regulation, Salisbury’s Rylee Donaldson launched a direct kick from 40 yards out last Thursday at Northern Lehigh High School. That shot found its way past Northwestern goalkeeper McKenna Amey in a crowded area of the Lady Tigers’ right side of the goal to lift Salisbury (15-4-3) to the District 11 Class 2A championship game.

“They came out and they definitely tightened some things up defensively,” Bleam said of the second half. “We had a multitude of opportunities in the first half, and you have to finish those opportunities in the playoffs. And if you don’t finish those opportunities you’re not going to get additional opportunities.”

The Lady Tigers dominated possession in the first half that resulted in seven shots compared to Salisbury’s four. But the more crucial stat was a 0-0 game after 40 minutes of play.

Following goals by both teams less than two minutes apart midway through the second half, Donaldson lined up for that game-defining strike from the 35-yard line.

“I saw Caylin [Meikrantz] and Paige [Nicholas] go down; they worked hard to get the ball in there,” Donaldson said. “I knew that was within my range and I could just put it in the box. I definitely kicked it a little harder than usual.”

“It was a direct kick and the ball went right through her hands,” Bleam said. “In weather conditions like this that kind of thing happens.”

The victory advanced Salisbury to Tuesday’s championship game where it fell to top-seeded Pine Grove, 1-0. Northwestern’s playoff run came to an end in the district semifinals for the second straight year.

After a scoreless first 40 minutes of play, the offense for both teams broke through midway through the second half. It started when Meikrantz cleaned up a rebound shot past Amey after Caitlin Hoeing’s initial shot was saved by Amey.

Northwestern responded not even two minutes later. Logan Collins raced down a ball from going out of bounds on the back line, and the junior midfielder found Sara Hathaway for the game-tying tally with 22:52 to play in regulation.

While Bleam was pleased with her team’s ability to respond with its back against the wall in a pressure-filled situation, a couple of injuries to key players had an impact on its ability to close out those final 23 minutes.

“I think fatigue had a little bit to do with it,” Bleam said. “I do have a few players that haven’t practiced since last game due to nagging type injuries. The nagging injuries didn’t go away, but the rest made them feel a little bit better for a temporary time period, but unfortunately they weren’t able to go much beyond a half.”

Senior defender Emily Renner left the game due to injury late in the second half. And junior midfielder Jess Williamson played sparingly in the second half, leaving the Lady Tigers at less than full strength.