Lorenzo LoPiccolo had a lot of reasons to smile on Monday.
Not having school with observing Columbus Day was surely one of them.
Being recognized as one of 12 seniors on Senior Night was special.
Having extended family in from Florida to watch him play was another.
And scoring the game-winning goal, well, that just capped off a memorable day.
The Emmaus senior scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute of the second half as the Hornets celebrated their Senior Night with yet another shutout, this time a 1-0 win over Whitehall at home at Memorial Field.
“To win on senior night as a senior it’s tremendous,” said LoPiccolo following the victory. “I love this team and I love the coaching staff. My family is here from Florida. They flew in to see me play and to be able to put one in the back of the net not only for my team but them, I was happy they got to see me experience scoring a goal on senior night.”
And so were the rest of his teammates who celebrated the win that kept them unbeaten on the season (15-0-1 EPC/16-0-1 overall) and clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming EPC Tournament for the two-time defending champs.
Emmaus, currently ranked No. 2 in the Pa. Soccer Coaches Association poll, dominated play but had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard until late in the second half.
LoPiccolo, who also scored the game-winning goal late in the second half of his team’s 1-0 win over Liberty just a few weeks ago, took a beautiful midfield pass from teammate Xavier Kieber Emmons and with a one touch off his right foot, put a shot over the head of Whitehall goalie Bryson Taylor that hit the inside of the far post and went in.
“We’ve been working a lot in practice on those set pieces and balls in behind their back line,” said LoPiccolo. “I called it for it and saw the opportunity and planned my run perfectly and got one toe in and that was all she wrote.”
“I couldn’t have asked from a better ball from Xavier,” he added. “He’s a great teammate. I love playing with him. That was a great ball, and I was there just in the nick of the time to get one foot on it.”
Said Emmaus head coach John Cari: “I was hoping it would leak in because I thought we did everything that we needed to do to take care of business out there besides scoring. We really kept them off the board, and I thought we were really good offensively.”
The defense wasn’t too shabby, either.
“Fifteen (15) shutouts out of 17 games, that’s impressive,” said Cari whose team has allowed just a pair of goals on the season. “Last year we gave up just six (goals). We did change our formation and it’s worked. We are really limiting quality shots, and I’ve been very pleased with the defensive efforts we have been getting from Xavier and Lorenzo along with Noah Tintle, Jermey Sharpless and Noah Delgado.”
Statistically, Emmaus held the visitors without a shot on goal (4-0) and the Hornets had a 6-1 advantage in corners. In goal, senior Nate Schalles picked up the win.
The 12 seniors on the team include: Noah Tintle, Tyler Evans, Anthony Suida, Lorenzo LoPiccolo, Gabe Reyes, Sebastian De La Cruz, Amadou Ndiaye, Maseyn Muthard, Caleb Brown, Noach Wachtner, Nate Schalles and Jibreel Naiem.
“This night is for them, that’s what it’s about,” said Cari. “Proud of all their efforts.”
Emmaus will close out their regular season on Wednesday at 7 p.m. as they travel to rival Parkland. The Hornets will be looking for their first unbeaten season in league play since going 16-0-1 in 2023.
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Emmaus 1, Whitehall 0
Wh – 0-0 – 0
Em – 0-1 – 1
Scoring:
Em – Lorenzo LoPiccolo (assist Xavier Kieber-Emmons), 7:03
Stats:
SOG – Em 4, Wh 0
Saves – Em (Nate Schalles 0), Wh (Bryson Taylor 3)
Corners – Em 6, Wh 1