The Northwestern field hockey may not have the easiest road remaining to qualify for one of the four Colonial League playoff spots. But at least the roadblock isn’t up quite yet.

Northwestern (7-6-1 in Colonial League) defeated Salisbury on Saturday afternoon, 4-1, in a league matchup delayed from earlier in the week. The Tigers faced a 1-0 deficit with just six minutes into last Tuesday’s contest, but scored four goals when the game resumed on Saturday afternoon to snap a two-game losing skid in league play and keep those league playoff aspirations alive.

“I think that the win is great momentum heading into this week,” Tiger head coach Lissa Opolsky said. “Unfortunately, I think we needed to win some games last week (Saucon Valley and Southern) in order to be in control of our own destiny. Now it is going to depend on the outcomes of our games and others.”

Northwestern lost back-to-back close games against Saucon Valley (3-2) and likely playoff team Southern Lehigh (2-0). A win in one of those two games would have greatly helped the Tigers’ cause.

“The team definitely had its ups and downs when playing the game on Saturday,” Opolsky said. “Salisbury is a very good team that has transformed into a team with good skill and hard work. We were able to have some good moments in the game where we played our style of hockey with speed and precision. In those moments we were able to capitalize.”

After Bella Martinez scored last Tuesday to put the host Falcons in front 1-0, storms caused the contest to be suspended and Northwestern would have to wait four days thinking about that deficit. But it didn’t seem to faze the Tigers. The layoff seemed to spark Northwestern.

The Tigers scored all four goals in the 52-plus minutes of game time remaining on Saturday to complete the comeback. Tess Ledeboer scored two of the Tigers’ goals, while Sydney Derr and Reagan Hernandez each added goals. Derr, Allie Lister and Lauren Schellhamer recorded assists for Northwestern.

According to Opolsky, it was Northwestern’s speed on the field that made all the difference between the four days.

“We did score four goals on Saturday and I think one of the biggest differences was being able to increase the speed of our skills and passing game,” Opolsky said.

The Tigers have also grown accustomed to delayed games over the past few weeks and have experienced plenty of success despite the break.

“We’ve had three games with delays this year,” Opolsky said. “Catty and Salisbury were made up on alternate days, and Pen Argyl was over an hour delay, which was resumed. It has definitely worked out to be a good thing for us, and luckily the kids are very relaxed about it. They get a reset and a new day to play.”

Regardless if the Tigers qualify for leagues or not, they have hopes of competing in the District 11 Tournament in the upcoming weeks.

“We’re looking forward to finishing the regular season strong and heading into playoffs feeling confident with our young group,” Opolsky said. “We are playing some good hockey, and I am looking forward to spending some more time with this group of girls and seniors.”