The entire theme behind the Salisbury field hockey program last season was to go further than they had gone before. The slogan the Falcons used was to ‘level up.’

They certainly did that in 2025 as they finished 20-3 with the first District 11 championship in the program’s history when they defeated Southern Lehigh, a team that had been a burr in their saddle in the past.

The district championship also brought a trip to states where the Falcons defeated Harriton 2-0 in the opening round to advance to the 2A quarterfinals where their journey ended against Warwick.

“It was just a great season, and I’m so proud of our team and what we were able to accomplish,” said senior Kendra Morgan. “We fell short of the league championship, but we came back and won in districts and then added another win in states, so we felt good about what we were able to accomplish.”

In the Colonial League championship, Salisbury lost to Northwestern in the semifinals before conquering districts.

During the season, senior Gwyn DeFazio reached the 100-goal mark for her career in the fifth game of the season and then recorded her 200th career point in the District 11 semifinal win over Pocono Mountain East. She will be attending Kutztown University and leaves Salisbury as the school’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points.

In addition to DeFazio and Morgan, the team loses five other seniors – Sarah Beckage, Casey Ehrie, Caroline Gedney, Meredith Kelley and Emma Yakaitis.

The losses hit all parts of the team with Beckage, Morgan and Yakaitis being forwards, DeFazio playing at midfield, and Ehrie and Kelley being part of the team’s defensive unit that gave Salisbury a strong group of players in front of senior goalie Gedney.

“I think they’re going to be OK even with the losses,” said Morgan. “There are a lot of young players who are really good and they just kept getting better throughout the season. I think a lot of them will just step in or take on bigger roles for the team next year.”

Sophomore forwards Anna Grubb and Ryley Shoemaker both return, as does classmate Ella Morgans in the midfield. All three started for Salisbury in 2025 and gained valuable experience throughout the season. Junior midfielders Ellie Schneider and Katie Carbone both had strong seasons and contributed to both offense and defense. The defense returns junior Ann Niggel, who was also a starter for the Falcons.

With the losses that Salisbury will have to work through, it’s likely that they may need a little time to come together, but a number of younger players on the roster saw time on the field to give them some valuable experience that will help them fight for jobs next fall.