For the past three seasons, Lexie Smith has been part of three Palmyra field hockey teams that have reached the PIAA Class AAA championship game. Now a senior, Smith and the Cougars were destined to fall short of that lofty achievement.

But that doesn’t mean Smith didn’t use that experience to help this year’s edition of Palmyra become the best it could be.

On Saturday at Hempfield High School, Smith’s Cougars’ 2017 campaign came to a conclusion with a 3-0 loss to powerful Penn Manor, in the quarterfinals of the District Three Class AAA tournament. But it was Smith who had influenced the Cougars’ journey to get there.

Four days earlier at Penn Manor High School’s Comet Field, Smith had tallied the game-winning goal that moved Palmyra into the quarters. Her score, with seven minutes remaining, proved to be the difference, as the Cougars edged Warwick 3-2.

From the right portion of the circle, Smith lofted a high shot on the Warwick cage that landed at the goalie’s feet. With teammate Gabby Corricelli operating in the area, the ball squirted between the keeper’s pads and into the goal.

The goal was the 14th of Smith’s senior campaign.

Palmyra ended the season with a 13-6-1 overall mark.

– Jeff Falk