October 9, 2019
RECAP >> The much-anticipated matchup of the last two unbeatens in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference didn’t turn into much of a matchup after all.
Emmaus ran the table on yet another undefeated regular-season in the EPC last night by going on the road and dominating rival Parkland in their regular-season finale, handing the Trojans their first loss of the season 6-0.
The win keep completed another perfect season in the league as the Hornets improved to 16-0 and 18-0 overall. Emmaus also defeated their rival for the 12th straight time dating back to the 2014 season.
Moreover, the victory had special meaning for head coach Sue Butz-Stavin and her team as they dedicated the game to one of their own – Lisa Grim Gaumer, a former player and 1983 graduate of Emmaus – who is battling breast cancer.
“It was awesome tonight,” said an emotional Butz-Stavin, the Hornets 44th year coach. “This one was for “Grimmy. The kids played for her tonight. We wish her well and a quick recovery.
“Lisa is just a great part of the Emmaus field hockey family and coaching staff and she has such a great relationship with the team,” she added. “When one of your fellow teammates is going through something like this, you want to be there to support her. We are all wishing her well.”
Gaumer would have been pleased with the effort from her former team last night.
Emmaus dominated the game in all phases, and after a slow start with neither team being able to generate any type of offense for much of the first half, the Hornets were finally able to score a pair of goals in the last seven minutes and then add four more in the second.
Freshman Rachel Herbine recorded her 10th hat trick of the season with her team-leading 42nd, 43rd and 44th goals of the season, all in the second half to lead the Hornets offense.
The Bruns twins – Madison and Mackenzie – each scored a goal in the win with Madison scoring the only goal the Hornets would need as she scored her ninth of the year with 6:47 left in the first half to give Emmaus a 1-0 lead.
Senior Kaitlyn Csensits added a goal and a pair of assists in the win, while junior Annika Herbine had a game-high four assists. In goal, junior Bailey Tietz recorded her 13th shutout of the season as she saw little action with just one save in the game.
“I feel that any of our 10 players can come up and score, they’re all very capable,” said Butz-Stavin. “We can use them in different sets on the field and we can give teams different looks. We always want to try to find something on the field that will work or counter-attack our opponents setup.”
Emmaus outshot Parkland 16-1 in the game and held a 10-1 advantage in penalty corners. The Trojans, who entered with a 12-game win streak, dropped to 13-1-1 in the league and overall.
Up next for the Hornets will be the EPC playoffs which are set to get underway this Saturday. Emmaus will be the top seed and will likely host the No.8 seed Nazareth at Memorial Field at a time to be determined. The Hornets are aiming for their fifth straight EPC title.
Follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter and ‘like’ Emmaus field hockey on facebook to keep up to date on the team throughout the season.
Emmaus – 2-4 – 6
Parkland – 0-0 – 0
Scoring:
Em – Madison Bruns (assist Abby Burnett & Annika Herbine)
Em – Kaitlyn Csensits (assist Annika Herbine & Madison Bruns)
Em – Mackenzie Bruns (assist Annika Herbine & Csensits)
Em – Rachel Herbine (assist Jenna Villeneuve & Annika Herbine)
Em – Rachel Herbine (assist Csensits)
Em – Rachel Herbine
STATS:
SOG – Em 16, Pa 1
Saves – Em 1 (Tietz), Park 8 (Tess Garchinsky)
PC: Em 10, Pa 1
Game photos courtesy of Bryan Tietz
