With a berth in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship game on the line, Emmaus was hoping to reverse its fortunes against longtime rival and nemesis Parkland.
Just a week ago when the two teams met at Parkland, it was the Hornets striking first, taking a 1-0 lead into the half before the Trojans erupted for three unanswered goals after intermission to pull away for the 3-1 victory.
On Wednesday night, when the two arch-rivals met for the second time this season at the Zephyr Sports Complex in Whitehall, there was little drama.
Just a lot of goals scored by the eight-time defending EPC champs.
Top-seeded Parkland was in full control from the opening whistle, scoring three goals in each half and rolling to a 6-0 rout of the Hornets who were seeking their first victory against the Trojans since a 2-1 win back in 2018.
Emmaus, which was coming off of a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Nazareth in the quarterfinals, had an uphill battle all night long as they surrendered the second most goals in a game this season and were held scoreless for just the third time.
A season ago, the Hornets were shutout twice against Parkland and dropped all three meetings, including a pair of overtime losses in both the league and District XI finals.
Emmaus dropped to 14-5-1 on the season with the loss after dropping its third game in the last four.
Parkland, meanwhile, remained unbeaten as they improved to 19-0-1 overall. The Trojans will be aiming for their ninth straight EPC title on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. as they take on second-seeded Central Catholic, which eliminated third-seeded Easton 2-1.
Junior Julia Hayward (two goals) led the scoring attack for Parkland, which had five different players score goals. Classmate Emma Hull, seniors Lauren Ervin and Aristea Gougoustamos along with sophomore Ellie Kocher also scored goals in the win.
Parkland outshot Emmaus in the match 10-3 and held a 7-2 advantage in corners. In goal, junior Ashley Stine was credited with four saves for the Hornets, while seniors Sophia Hallal and Sophie Frank combined to make three saves for the Trojans.
Up next for Emmaus will be the District XI Class 4A playoffs. The Hornets, the No. 3 seed, will host a quarterfinal round game on Wednesday, October 25 against sixth-seeded Freedom.
To stay up to date on Emmaus sports, follow @Emmaussports.com on Twitter and like Emmaus sports on facebook.
Parkland 6, Emmaus 0
Em – 0-0 – 0
Pa – 3-3 – 6
Scoring:
Pa – Julia Hayward 9′ (assist Chou)
Pa – Emma Hull 31′
Pa – Lauren Ervin 34′
Pa – Hayward 50′
Pa – Aristea Gougoustamos 54′ (Evi Gougoustamos)
Pa. – Ellie Kocher 55′