NAZARETH - Southern Lehigh got out to a fast start and went on to post a 5-0 victory over Lehighton in a District 11 Class 2A field hockey semifinal game on Tuesday.

Brianna Stock scored the game’s first goal with 4:09 left in the first quarter, and added another score with just under 10 minutes left in the first half.

Powerful Southern Lehigh (20-0-0) controlled play throughout the opening half, but Lehighton goalie Shelby Heater made some incredible saves to keep the Indians in the game.

“Shelby saved 94 percent of the shots she faced this season, so she’s been very valuable,” Lehighton head coach Vanessa Rimbey said. “Tonight she faced over shots 30 shots and probably had about 29 saves.”

It was a quiet night for Lehighton offensively as Southern Lehigh pounced on the Indians early and kept the momentum going throughout the game. The Indians got a few chances at a goal, but that was as close Lehighton came to scoring.

The Spartans, who converted two penalty shots in the second half, advance to the District 11 2A final on Saturday.

“It didn’t go the way we wanted, but I’m proud of them,” Rimbey said. “We had our ups and downs. We came into the season with a goal - we don’t play in a league - so that goal is setting our sites right on making districts, and we achieved that.”

The Indians finish the season 10-9, and had back-to-back wins four times in 2021.

“We had a young team,” Rimbey said. “I have three seniors who started, and maybe one junior that’s on the field. Then we have three sophomores, and all the rest are freshmen.

“We started four of those freshmen today, so that gives us a lot of excitement moving forward. But we’re going to miss our seniors.”

BRING ON THE HEAT(ER)

... Heater made some miraculous saves for the Indians to keep the Southern Lehigh scoring down. When the Spartans tried several times to get the ball in, Heater made save after save to give the Indians another chance of getting something together.

SENIORS

... Rimbey talked about some of the changes her team will face heading into next season. “I think we’re going to move some people around. We’re losing key contributors like our center-mid, Adriana Hinkle. We’re losing Shelby Heater, who’s played four years of varsity for us. We’re losing Maddie Brown, who’s great offensively, has great stick stills and controlling the ball on that drive of our forward line. I guess time will tell.”