A streak that dates all the way back to 1988 remained intact on Saturday afternoon for legendary head coach Sue Butz-Stavin’s field hockey team.
And it was never really a question of whether or not “The Streak” was going to end.
The 2023 squad made sure of that from the opening whistle.
Just a little over a minute into its District XI Class 3A Championship matchup against archrival Parkland at the Zephyr Sports Complex in Whitehall, Emmaus was off an running on its way to yet another title.
The Hornets scored all of their goals in the first quarter and were never challenged the rest of the way as they claimed their incredible 35th straight championship with a 3-0 shutout win over the Trojans.
Three different players scored goals in the victory for Emmaus, which won its 15th consecutive game in improving to 22-1 overall on the season.
It was also the second time the Hornets had defeated Parkland with Emmaus winning the regular-season finale 1-0 on senior Autumn Held’s goal with just four seconds remaining in regulation.
Freshman Gracie Huffer scored the only goal the Hornets would need with 1:10 coming off the clock as she found the back of the cage with her sixth goal of the season off an assist from junior Emmy Horner, who had a game-high two assists in the win.
Held provided an insurance goal, her 12th of the year, just five minutes later off of a shot from senior Melea Weber to make it 2-0, and then Weber closed out the scoring with her team-leading 59th goal of the season to give Emmaus a commanding 3-0 lead. The UNC committ now has 98 career goals.
For the game, Emmaus outshot Parkland 14-6 in the game with the Hornets holding a 13-9 edge in penalty corners. In goal, senior Emma Cari was outstanding posting her 18th shutout of the season in turning away all six shots she faced.
Parkland, which was coming off a 2-1 semifinal win over Easton, dropped to 20-5-1 overall with the loss.
Emmaus’ quest for its 15th PIAA State Championship gets underway on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. as they host a familiar foe in District One’s fifth-place team, Methacton. The two teams met just a season at Memorial Field with the Hornets prevailing 4-1. Emmaus also defeated the Warriors two years ago, 2-1 in the state quarterfinals.
The Eastern Pa. Sports Network will provide LIVE audio coverage of the game beginning at 4:20 p.m.
For the most complete coverage of Emmaus sports, follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter and like Emmaus sports on facebook.
Emmaus 3, Parkland 0
Pa – 0-0-0-0 – 0
Em – 3-0-0-0 – 3
Scoring:
1st Quarter:
Em – Gracie Huffer 13:50 (assist Emmy Horner)
Em – Autum Held 8:40 (assist Melea Weber)
Em – Weber 3:21 (assist Horner)
STARTERS:
Emmaus – GK Emma Cari, Autumn Held, Haley Kvacky, Jordyn Poll, Sarah Schaffer, Melea Weber, Autum Kernechel, Emmy Horner, Avery Burnett, Morgan Orobono, Gracie Huffer
Parkland – Anna Sensinger, Maya Zaun, Elaina Fragassi, Lizzie Williams, Brynn Harrison, Aurora Gery, Rosella Birns, Lila Temchatin, Jordan Brunnabed, Cecilia Kleckner, GK Lexi Pritchard