RECAP >> Both the Emmaus boys and girls teams bounced back from losses in their respective Eastern Pennsylvania Conference tournaments by picking up opening-round wins in the District XI Class 4A playoffs held last night as part of a doubleheader at Memorial Field.
After a surprising early exit 11 days ago in a 1-0 upset loss to Whitehall, John Cari’s boys squad didn’t allow the long layoff to be a factor as the Hornets awarded their longtime head coach with career win No. 300 as they returned to their winning ways with a 2-0 victory over East Stroudsburg South.
Emmaus, who had been shutout and riding a two-game losing streak entering action, scored a goal in each half as the three-time defending district champs defeated the Cavaliers for the second time this month (3-1 on Oct. 4) in improving to 16-3-1 overall.
Senior Teddy Coenen came off the bench and scored his third goal of the season, and the only goal the Hornets would need in the 37th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead. Junior Elijah Miller would add an insurance goal – his third – in the second half.
Emmaus outshot ES South 10-4 and held a 6-3 advantage in corners. Senior Max McGrath posted his 14th shutout of the season in goal making four saves.
With the win, Emmaus advances to the semifinals on November 1 to take on second-seeded Northampton, which eliminated seventh-seeded Freedom 4-0. The site/time TBA.
The Hornets will be aiming for their 12th straight trip to the finals and seeking revenge for an earlier-season loss to the KKids back on September 26 (1-0).
Prior to the boys game, the Lady Hornets returned to their winning ways and got the sour taste out of their mouths following last Saturday’s 1-0 overtime loss to rival Parkland in the EPC championship game, by rolling to a 3-0 win over Pleasant Valley.
Sophomore Kamryn McWhinney scored the only goal Emmaus would need in the first half, her team-tying 11th of the season, as the Hornets (17-4-1) defeated the Bears for the second time this season (first meeting 6-1).
Junior Ananya Roy added an insurance goal, her seventh of the season in the second half. In goal, sophomore Ashley Stine posted the shutout, the 15th for the Hornets.
Emmaus will now advance to the semifinals on November 1 to take on second-seeded Easton which had a first-round bye. The site/time TBA. The Hornets will be looking to punch their ticket to the finals and atone for an earlier-season loss to the Red Rovers back on September 24, 2-0.
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Emmaus 2, ES South 0 (Boys)
ESS – 0-0 – 0
Em – 1-1 – 2
Scoring:
Em – Teddy Coenen 1g, Elijah Miller 1g, Blaise Verrastro 1a, Ryan Kiernan 1a
Emmaus 3, Pleasant Valley 0 (Girls)
PV – 0-0 – 0
Em – 1-2 – 3
Scoring:
Em – Kamryn McWhinney 1g, Ananya Roy 1g, Own goal, Ashley Geder 1a, Casey Bender 1a