SALISBURY, Md. – The York College field hockey team saw its season come to a close on Wednesday night at Salisbury, Md. in a 5-0 defeat to No. 1 Salisbury in the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal round.

In a season where the outlook did not look promising after coming off a 4-12 season without a trip to the CAC Tournament and only five players returning to a miniscule 16-player roster, the Spartan field hockey team was able to ignore all the negative factors surrounding the team and put together the best turnaround season in program history.

It was not only the best turnaround season in program history, but one of the best seasons in recent history as the Green and White totaled 13 wins, which is the highest since racking up 14 in 2009 and is the third-highest single-season win total the Spartans have had all-time.

Unfortunately, the memorable ride had to come to close as York (13-7) faced a perennial powerhouse in Salisbury (16-1).

York fought and battled throughout the entire first 35 minutes, but the suffocating pressure of the No. 1 ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls kept the ball in the SU offensive zone, which led to three goals for the host Gulls.

The Sea Gulls rarely saw possession in their defensive zone as they out-shot the Spartans 19-1 and held a 9-0 advantage in penalty corners through the first half.

In the second half, the Sea Gulls tacked on two more goals and produced a 10-7 advantage in shots.

Freshman goalkeeper Jessica Everett (Windsor, Pa./Red Lion) turned in a valiant effort in goal for the Spartans as she faced 29 total shots, 19 of which were on goal, and made a season-high 14 saves. Everett stood strong between the pipes and made multiple crucial saves while being under duress through out most of the contest.

The York College field hockey program says goodbye to two four-year senior defensive mainstays in Katie Petrillo (Howell, N.J./Freehold Township) and Nancy Saylor (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central), in addition to sending off fifth-year senior and a first-time member of the squad Dale Mason (Newtown, Pa./Neshaminy). These three ladies have given much to the York College athletic program as a whole and we wish these young ladies the best in their future endeavors.

Nancy Saylor photo courtesy of Derek Behrenshausen – Asst. Director of Athletic Communications