Heartbreak.
In a word, that best describes the emotions Emmaus players and coaches felt walking off the pitch for the final time this season on Saturday afternoon at the Zephyr Sports Complex in Whitehall following yet another defeat to their arch-rival Parkland.
And this one, will likely sting for a lot longer than the others.
For many reasons.
Facing the Trojans for the third time this season and second year in a row in the District XI Class 4A championship game, the Hornets were probably feeling they were oh so close to winning the program’s first district title since the spring of 2008.
And why not.
Emmaus had all the momentum early as they led 1-0 at the half on junior Kam McWhinney’s team-leading 15th goal of the season just four minutes into the contest.
That one-goal lead stood for the better part of the second half and it appeared Emmaus would finally be able to get over the hump and beat the Trojans after losing to them twice season (3-1 and 6-0) and in last year’s final, 2-1 in overtime.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
Parkland, the three-time defending champs, put together an incredible rally late in the second half as they scored a pair of goals and stunned the Hornets yet again with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory, claiming yet another district title.
Senior midfielder Dani Marsteller wound up scoring the game-winning goal in the 77th minute as Parkland celebrated their fourth consecutive championship while Emmaus remained in search of its first in 15 years.
The loss closed the books on a 16-6-1 season as the Hornets had to once again settle for a runner-up finish.
Parkland, meanwhile, remained undefeated on the season as they improved to 22-0-1. The Trojans will compete in the PIAA State Tournament beginning on Tuesday as they host Council Rock South, the fourth-place entry from District One.
In the game, Parkland had a slight edge in shots on goal over Emmaus 9-7. Hornets junior goalie Ashley Stine was credited with seven saves, while Trojan seniors Sophie Frank and Sophia Hallal each had three stops.
Today’s game marked the final one in the high school careers of the team’s eight seniors – Ashley Geder, Ananya Roy, Sammy Walkiewicz, Julia Adams, Vivienne Pinocci-Wrightsman, Ryleigh McNellis, Mya Cooper and Mackenzie Huffer.
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Parkland 2, Emmaus 1
Em – 1-0 – 1
Pa – 0-2 – 2
Scoring:
Em – Kam McWhinney 4′
Pa – Aristea Gougoustamos 70′ (assist Delaney Chilcote), Dani Marsteller 77′ (assist Joanna Chou)