SWIFTWATER – It was the future of the program that kept sixth-seeded Lehighton within reach of Pocono Mountain East during Tuesday’s District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal round game.

It was the kind of effort head coach Carl Wolter was glad to see from his program – which has just four upperclassmen on the roster.

Unfortunately for the Indians, the effort was good enough to keep them close, but not quite good enough to get them a win.

The third-seeded Cardinals were able to hold off an Indian rally for a 3-2 victory.

“We have definitely come a long way,” Wolter said. “We’re a young team. A lot of our players are freshmen and sophomores this year. But obviously things are looking good for us.”

The nerves most likely got the best of the Indians youth in the first half as the Cardinals were able to build a quick 3-0 lead. Those nerves were especially evident on Pocono Mountain East’s first goal, as a missed kick by one of the Indian defenders produced an own goal.

Campbell Demarest scored the next two goals - one with 32:27 left in the first half and the other with 17:47 left in the half - to put Lehighton in an early hole.

But Lehighton wasn’t about to go down without a fight, and with 1:14 left in the first half, sophomore midfielder Karissa Moyer got the Indians on the board.

“That goal sparked us coming into halftime,” said Wolter. “If we would have been down 3-0 at half, I think heads would have definitely been down.

“But, coming in off that score gave us a whole lot of motivation, and changed our attitude.”

The Indians were able to completely shut down the Cardinals’ attach in the second half.

“We changed some things around were where I brought Mylee Lutsko from center-mid, and I brought her back to the defensive line,” said Wolter. “And the combination of having Mylee Lutsko, Cheyann Marx and Emma Repsher back on that defensive line really strengthened it.

“We also changed what we did with our three center-mids by playing them in a triangle. It was the center-mids (Karissa Moyer, Charli McHugh, Ryleigh Walker and Sadie Monk rotating in the three spots) who allowed us to apply pressure the rest of the way.”

That added pressure paid off when freshman Leah Uyvari scored with 14:49 remaining to pull the Indians within a goal.

But the Cardinal defense was able to tighten up in the closing minutes to end Lehighton’s season with a 10-8 record.

“Two seasons ago, Lehighton had a 3-13 record. Last year, we doubled those wins,” said second-year coach Wolter. “I kept reiterating to the girls, we need to keep taking steps forward. The whole point this year was we wanted to make districts, and keep the program moving in the right direction.

“Next year, our goal is not only going to be making districts, it’s going to be getting a district win.”

NEXT IN LINE … The Cardinals now advance to the district semifinals to face Pottsville at a site and time to be determined.

COMMITMENT … “For the first time ever in Lehighton history, we had an indoor team this past year,” said Wolter. “We had 10 girls that went and played indoor soccer. It’s what other schools are doing – Pottsville, Blue Mountain and several other teams in the Schuylkill League are all playing club soccer. So, in order to compete with them, we need to have more time on the field too.”

SAYING GOODBYE… Seniors Hannah Lichtenwalner, Cheyann Marx, Clarissa Smyth and Madyln Wolter all played their final high school game. “Our seniors were more than just what the statistics show,” Wolter said. “I’m so proud of them. They’re just really great student-athletes.”