September 5, 2019
RECAP >> A simple wake-up call was the Emmaus boys soccer team needed on Wednesday night to defeat their arch-rival.
After finding themselves down 1-0 after a sluggish first half, the Hornets got that much-needed talk from their head coach John Cari at half and came out controlled play the rest of the way as they defeated Parkland in thrilling fashion, winning 2-1 in overtime before a near-capacity crowd at Memorial Field.
Senior Andrew Gaines came up with the ‘golden goal’ in the extra session as he scored his first goal of the season three minutes in to give Emmaus the victory in Round 1 of this heated Cedar Crest Boulevard rivalry.
“I thought we had a really, really rough first half, just so out of sorts, so uncomfortable,” said Cari the Hornets 15th year coach following the game. “We talked to them at halftime and told them that you are a better team than what you showed,”
” We talked about winning first and second balls and I thought we did a better job in the second half. We willed are way to the victory and I’m very proud of these guys. Andrew Gaines had a great day today and I’m glad he was able to get the game-winner.”
So too was Gaines.
“He (coach Cari) just told us we have to wake-up and that we had to start winning balls, we were letting them win 50/50 balls in the first half,” said Gaines who was outstanding all night. “In the second half, we finally woke up and started winning those 50/50 balls and we were able to control play and dominate the second half. “
The victory helps keep Emmaus unbeaten on the young season as they improve to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference after defeating their rival for the third time in the last four meetings dating back to last season. Parkland suffered its first loss of the season and dropped to 1-1.
The Trojans, who were coming off a season-opening 3-0 victory over Central Catholic on Saturday, got the better of play in the first 40 minutes and were able to be the first team to scoring against Emmaus this season as reserve Mustapha Sulu came off the bench and took a crossing pass from teammate Jordan Madise giving Parkland a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.
Emmaus would respond, however, as just two minutes into the second half junior Patrick Walsh took a pass from teammate senior Jake Perry and headed it past Trojans junior goalie Victor Baran tying the game at 1-1.
The Hornets continued relentless pressure throughout the second half with a number of good scoring chances but were not able to get the go-ahead goal forcing overtime.
And in the extra-session, it was Gaines who found the back of the next with the ‘golden goal’ giving Emmaus the victory in the first meeting between the two rivals.
The Hornets outshot the Trojans 14-7 in the game, but Parkland held the slight advantage in shots on goal 5-3. Junior Chris Buck picked up the win in goal with four saves, while his counterpart Baran made two stops. Emmaus held a 6-0 advantage in corners.
Up next for the Hornets will be a road trip to Nazareth as they take on the Blue Eagles at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
Last night’s game was the 7th Annual Red Card Cancer event between the two schools. Both Emmaus and Parkland teams, along with their booster clubs are committed to jointly raising awareness and funds to help support research and offset medical costs for families affected by cancer.
This year’s recipient was Parkland School District student Jack Ohl who goes to Orefield Middle School. Jack is the son of beloved Emmaus High School physics teacher Brent Ohl. Jack is currently undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a rate form of cancer that has less than 200,000 cases diagnosed each year. FreySmiles Orthodontics sponsored the game last night with special pregame warmups worn by both teams.
Follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter and ‘like’ Emmaus boys soccer on facebook to keep up to date on the team throughout the season.
Parkland – 1-0-0 – 1
Emmaus – 0-1-1 – 2
Pa goals – Mustapha Salau (16th minute)
Pa assists – Jordan Madise
Pa saves – Victor Baran 2
Em goals – Pat Walsh (42nd minute), Andrew Gaines 84th minute)
Em assists – Jake Perry
Em saves – Chris Buck 4
JV – Parkland 3-0