Lehighton’s field hockey team made significant strides this season, earning a spot in the District 11 Class 1A semifinals Monday at Palmerton.

The third-seeded Indians went toe-to-toe with second-seeded Pen Argyl in a rematch of their early September meeting.

Lehighton gave everything it had, but the result was the same as the first matchup — a 2-1 victory for the Green Knights that ended the Indians’ season.

“I’m so proud of my girls,” Lehighton head coach Jen Lobasso said after the game. “No one thought we were going to get this far this season. It’s a loss, but it’s a respectable loss, and we still had a chance with very little time left at the end of the game.”

The speed of several Pen Argyl players presented a challenge for the Indians throughout much of the contest. Goalkeeper Lillian Klotz was forced to make three early saves, with help from her defense, to preserve the scoreless tie.

Despite the Green Knights generating most of the offensive opportunities, it was Lehighton that struck first late in the second quarter, using its speed on a fast break.

The rush resulted in a corner opportunity that quickly turned into three consecutive corners. On the third attempt, Quinn Lichtenwalner sent a crossing pass to Jordan Hausman, who jammed the ball under goalkeeper Jaelyn Smith to give the Indians a 1-0 lead they carried into halftime.

When the second half began, Pen Argyl had regained its legs and returned to the speed it displayed early in the game. Adding to the challenge, Lehighton struggled with something that had plagued it throughout the season — becoming too comfortable with a lead.

“I think we became really predictable and easy to defend,” Lobasso said. “We weren’t working our offense very well. There will always be physical mistakes that happen, but when you then get the ball and make a bad decision with it, that can sometimes become contagious.”

Pen Argyl took advantage late in the third quarter when Veda Santo redirected a pass from Gianna Martini off an offensive rush to tie the score at 1-1.

The Green Knights carried that momentum into the fourth quarter and took the lead nearly three and a half minutes in. Santo scored her second goal of the game, finishing off a lead pass from her younger sister, Simona, for a 2-1 advantage.

Lehighton refused to go down quietly, creating some of its best opportunities in the final few minutes. A shot off a corner was defended, and a late rush in the final minute was denied, preserving the victory for Pen Argyl.

“It was amazing to watch,” Green Knights coach Meghan Kutzler said. “They knew what they had to do. They worked on it. We talked about it at halftime, and they came out and they did it knowing (that) just because (Lehighton) had that goal doesn’t mean the game’s over.”

Although Lehighton’s season ended in disappointment, Lobasso came away encouraged by the progress her team made and the players who will return next fall.

“The entire junior class that starts is all coming back, and that’s really, really exciting,” she said. “Quinn (Lichtenwalner) is only a freshman. She’s our center mid and she does some amazing things out there. The future is really bright, and next year we want to be in this situation, but clearly we want to walk away with the win.”

SENIOR RECOGNITION … Lehighton will graduate three seniors: Klotz, Hausman and Victoria Nied.

LONG TIME NO SEE … Pen Argyl advances to Thursday’s district championship game at Whitehall against Northwestern, which defeated Northern Lehigh 4-0 in its semifinal. The Green Knights also secured a berth in the PIAA state playoffs for the first time in at least 20 years, according to Kutzler.

Pen Argyl 2, Lehighton 1

Lehighton 0 1 0 0 - 1

Pen Argyl 0 0 1 1 - 2

Goals: Lehighton - Jordan Hausman 1; Pen Argyl - Veda Santo 2. Assists: Lehighton - Quinn Lichtenwalner 1; Pen Argyl - Gianna Martini 1, Simona Santo 1. Saves: Lehighton - Lillian Klotz 4; Pen Argyl - Jaelyn Smith 4. Shots: Lehighton 5; Pen Argyl 7. Corners: Lehighton 5; Pen Argyl 4.

Records: Lehighton (8-12); Pen Argyl (14-5-2).