Heading into his team’s District XI Class 4A quarterfinal round playoff matchup with Whitehall, Chris Hain knew exactly what the underdog Zephyrs game plan was going to be.
“They were going to come out and try to frustrate us,” said the Hornets first year coach.
The Zephyrs did just that in the first half, holding the Hornets off the scoreboard for the first 40 minutes of the game.
Whitehall, however, couldn’t sustain their style of play the rest of the way as Emmaus made the necessary adjustments and eventually settled into its game, rolling to a 3-0 victory last night at Memorial Field.
Senior Gabby Powell had a hand in all three of her team’s goals as she scored twice and assisted on a third leading the third-seeded Hornets (16-3-2 overall) past the sixth-seeded Zephyrs. The win also marked the second time this season that Emmaus has defeated Whitehall by shutout, winning the first meeting back on August 27, 6-0.
“We just had to play the kind of game that we wanted to play, which is possession-based,” stressed Hain. “We’re not big enough or strong enough to play long ball so everything that we do is to build in our midfield.”
Powell, the team’s second leading goal scorer (12), tallied the only goal the Hornets would need on the night in the 64th minute of play off a pass from sophomore Lizzie Bender, who had two assists in the game.
“Gabby has stepped up for us all year,” said Hain of his midfielder. “She shows up and works hard, whether it’s training or a game.”
Powell would later add her second goal in the 74th minute before freshman Ella Scharper closed out the scoring with her 10th goal of the season five minutes later.
Defensively, Emmaus was once again stout as they posted their 14th clean sheet of the season.
In goal, senior goalie Ashley Stine picked up the win in front of her defensive unit of – senior Kirsten Esterly, junior Emma Paradise, sophomore Ella Daly along with freshmen Stella Pietrulewicz and Olivia Haberl.
“They’ve been really, really good and we’re young,” said Hain of his back line. “They make good decisions with the ball, and they’ve been phenomenal all year.”
Up next for the Hornets will be a semifinal matchup on Tuesday, October 29 (Site/Time TBA) versus rival and the four-time defending champs, Parkland, which rolled to a 6-0 win in its quarterfinal round matchup against Freedom. The other semifinal matchup will pit top-seed Nazareth taking on fourth-seeded Northampton.
The Hornets and Trojans met in the last game of the regular season with Parkland prevailing 1-0 on a penalty kick.
This second meeting, however, will have much more on the line with the winner advancing to the District XI final and earning a berth in the PIAA State Tournament.
“I thought we played really well in that game,” said Hain, referring to the October 9 matchup played at Parkland. “I thought it was one of our better games all year. The PK was unfortunate for us, but I thought we played them strong. We didn’t have as many opportunities as I would have liked, but at the end of the day if we can follow that performance up than I feel confident that we will be okay in the game.”
Whitehall, which was shutout for the eighth time this season, closed the books on a 11-9 campaign.
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Emmaus 3, Whitehall 0
Wh – 0-0 – 0
Em – 0-3 – 3
Scoring:
Em – Gabby Powell (assist Lizzy Bender)
Em- Powell (Bender)
Em – Ella Scharper (assist Powell)
Stats:
Saves – Whitehall (Nelson, 15), Emmaus – Stein (0)