Grant’s ‘golden’ in overtime as Hornets pick up all-important 2-1 win over Nazareth
RECAP – Needing a win to improve its chances of reaching the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Emmaus girls’ soccer team did what they had to do on Friday afternoon at home at Memorial Field as they picked up a much-needed 2-1 overtime victory over Nazareth.
Senior Maggie Grant came up with the golden goal in the extra-session as she scored less than four minutes in off a corner kick from teammate Grace Eisenhard. It was the second goal of the season for Grant.
“The goalie tipped it and I was there and I just chested in right in,” said Grant following the game. “I was kinda in shock. It was so exciting. It was only a few minutes into overtime.
“With this win it sealed our fate of getting into the EPC playoffs so it was a really big win for this team.”
The overtime was the third of this week for Emmaus which was in desperate need of a win after going 0-2-1 in its last three games. The Hornets were coming off of a 1-1 overtime tie against Pleasant Valley less than 24 hours earlier, and they also dropped a pair of games earlier this week, 3-1 to rival Parkland on Wednesday and a heart-breaking 5-4 overtime loss to Northampton on Monday.
With the victory, Emmaus now improves its league mark to 8-4-2 and their overall record to 9-4-2. The Hornets also got payback from earlier this season when they went to Nazareth on September 7 and suffered a 4-0 setback.
“To be able to end the week that has been very emotional and very physical, in terms of what we’ve asked our players and what the games have consisted of, the girls dug deep and they were able to find that extra gear that we needed to end this game and reward ourselves with a win through this tough four-game stretch,” said a happy Emmaus coach Sarah Oswald. “I’m really proud of Maggie for being able to be the one to come through their in the overtime and win it for us.”
“We talked before heading out that we needed to get the goal quickly. I didn’t believe that we had the extra 20 minutes in us based on the week that we had, so being able to capitalize on a goal very quickly into overtime was excellent.”
After neither team was able to score in the opening half, Emmaus waisted little time after intermission as they scored less than four minutes into the second half as junior Lily Schmitt found the back of the net with her seventh goal of the season off a corner kick from Eisenhard.
The one-goal lead looked like it would hold up the rest of the way, but unfortunately a questionable foul inside the box ruled against the Hornets allowed Nazareth a penalty kick as the Blue Eagles converted as Allison Hoff tied the game at 1-1 in the 67th minute of play.
The game then headed into overtime where the Hornets eventually won it on Grant’s goal.
Emmaus outshot Nazareth 6-4 in the game and held a 7-2 advantage in corners. Hornets goalie Alexa Ryan picked up the win making four saves, while her counterpart senior Caitlyn Lazzarini also made four stops.
The Hornets will return to Memorial Field for their final regular-season home game at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday as they host Whitehall which currently occupies the No. 1 spot in the EPC standings.
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Naz – 0 – 1 – 0 – 1
Em – 0 – 1 – 1 – 2
Naz goals – Allison Hoff, PK (67th minute)
Em goals – Lily Schmitt (44th minute), Maggie Grant (83rd minute)
Em assists – Grace Eisenhard
SOG – Em 6, Naz 5
Saves – Em (Ryan 4), Naz – Lazzarini (4)
Corners – Em 7, Naz 2