RECAP >> For Annika Herbine and her teammates, ‘THE STREAK’ is something they know all about.
It just comes with the territory as being a part of the juggernaut that is Emmaus field hockey.
She also knows the number one and in this, her senior season, that’s the only number that mattered to her and the 2020 squad.
Winning ONE District XI Championship this year.
To no one’s surprise, the Hornets did just that – emphatically!
The senior standout scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second period as part of her hat trick, while younger sister, Rachel, added a pair of goals as the Hornets beat a familiar foe, Easton, yet again in the finals 7-1 on a beautiful sunny afternoon Saturday on the turf at the Zephyr Sports Complex at Whitehall High School.
“It feels great,” said the elder Herbine just moments after receiving her gold medal. “There was a lot of pressure with 32 (district titles) on our shoulders but we did it. I’m excited. We (this team) only have one district title. We were not trying to go for 32; we were just going for one.”
And they got it.
With the victory, nationally-ranked Emmaus remained unbeaten (13-0), while Easton (11-2) had its season come to an end. It marked the fourth straight year that the two teams have met in the finals with the Hornets prevailing in the previous three meetings.
“We have strong leadership from our captains and Annika’s energy is very infectious to her teammates,” said legendary Emmaus head coach Sue Butz-Stavin who’s in her 45th season.
Annika Herbine scored a pair of goals in the second period as Emmaus outscored Easton 3-0 and then she later completed the hat-trick with her team-leading 28th goal of the season in the final period.
Her first goal of the game – off a penalty corner inserted by junior Jenna Villeneuve – five minutes into the second gave the Hornets the lead for good after Easton freshman forward Jocelyn Morgan had tied the game at 1-1 with just :33 seconds left in the opening period. It was just the third goal allowed by Emmaus all season.
“It was a marking issue,” she said of the Red Rovers only goal of the day, “but we got right back together and said that we were going to score the next goal and that’s what we did.”
And the rout was on as Emmaus completely dominated Easton the rest of the way scoring six unanswered goals.
Rachel Herbine scored her 20th and 21st goals of the season in the win, while senior Madison Bruns added her sixth and Villeneuve her fifth.
Emmaus outshot Easton 14-7 and held an 11-4 advantage in penalty corners. Senior Bailey Tietz made a number of key saves in the opening period and was credited with six for the game, while her counterpart sophomore Macy Wilcox made eight stops.
Up next for Emmaus will be the PIAA State Tournament next Saturday. The Hornets will host Honesdale, which defeated Hazleton 3-2 in the District 2 championship. Emmaus has been to the state semifinals the last three years but hasn’t reached the finals since winning it all in 2016.
“You have to come ready to play this time of the year,” said Butz-Stavin, whose program has won 12 state titles.
Continue to follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter and ‘like’ Emmaus field hockey on facebook to keep up to date on the team throughout the post-season.
Emmaus – 1-3-1-2 – 7
Easton – 1-0-0-0 – 1
Scoring:
1st Period
Em – Rachel Herbine (assist Lexi Kociban)
Ea – Jocelyn Morgan (assist Lexi Causa)
2nd Period
Em – Annika Herbine (assist Jenna Villeneuve)
Em – Rachel Herbine (assist Abby Burnett)
Em – Annika Herbine – penalty stroke
3rd Period
Em- Madison Bruns (Ava Zerfass)
4th Period
Em – Villeneuve (Annika Herbine)
Em – Annika Herbine (assist Rachel Herbine)