Emmaus High School Boys Soccer

The Emmaus Boys Soccer Team traveled to rival Parkland High School and lost 2-0 on Monday September 30. Parkland came out strong, running well and stifling the Hornet possessions with aggressive defensive challenges. The Trojans were able to get on the scoreboard midway through the first period after a foul just outside the penalty box resulted in a direct kick that found the back of the net. Emmaus found energy and rhythm and began to control play late in the first half, but couldn’t find a combination to create an effective shot in front of the goal. Parkland scored a second goal midway through the second half, converting a penalty kick off an unlucky hand ball in the box. In the end, Parkland controlled much of the tempo of the game, competed aggressively for fifty-fifty balls, and contained the Hornet attack to earn the victory. Emmaus’ season record is now 13-2-0.

The JV Hornets continued their winning ways, defeating the Trojan JV 3-0. Sophomore Logan Mains opened the scoring for the Hornets 10 minutes into the game to set the tone. Late in the first half, sophomore Brydon Crawford drove home a header off a corner. Midway through the second half, as Parkland seemed poised to rally, sophomore keeper Ty Bleiler had a huge save to shut down the Trojan momentum. Freshman Blaise Verrastro put the game away, scoring a goal late in the second half. The JV have won their last 8 games, and have held their opponents scoreless 11 times this season. The Emmaus JV record improves to 11-2-2.

The Emmaus Boys Soccer Team traveled to Northampton on Friday September 27 and took their first loss of the season by a score of 1-0. The Hornets dominated possession and shots, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Senior Eric Johnson was outstanding for the Hornets, dominating the midfield, generating controlled possession, and distributing the ball effectively to teammates. Northampton’s keeper made several stellar saves to keep the Hornets off the scoreboard. With 5 minutes to play in the game, the Kids were able to flick a ball, get behind the defense, and score the game winner. Emmaus’ record is now 13-1-0 for the season, 11-1-0 in conference play.

The JV Hornets were more successful, with a 4-0 victory over the Northampton JV. Sophomore Carlos Morales had 2 goals, and sophomore Holden Brown and freshman Adam Plotka added a goal apiece. The Emmaus JV recorded it’s 9th consecutive shutout, behind the effort of sophomore defenders Carlos Morales, Ryan Santos, John Hanvey, Brydon Crawford and Noah Parker, and freshman defenders Aidan Delgado, Blaise Verrastro, Adam Plotka, and Zach Bernhart. Emmaus JV improves to 10-2-2 for the season.

2019 Season Statistics can be viewed on the following document.

The Emmaus Boys’ Soccer Team bested Central Catholic 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday September 25. After a week of dominating opponents, the Vikings presented a stiffer challenge. The teams played evenly through most of the first half. The Vikings were aggressive on defense and counterattacked with each turnover to keep the Hornets on the back foot. Eventually, junior midfielder Pat Walsh opened the scoring with 7:55 in the first half. Junior forward Hudson Peck sent a ball into the box that was headed out of the crowd toward Walsh, who controlled the bounding ball with his chest and drove it low into the left side of the goal. The Vikings countered with a few minutes to play in the first half, scoring on a direct kick from 40 yards that snuck between junior keeper Chris Buck’s hands. A determined Buck rose to the occasion and made a series of diving and leaping saves to keep the Vikings off the board the rest of the way and keep the Hornets in the game. In a suspenseful second half, each team threatened but could not score. Senior forward Andrew Gaines’ energy served as a catalyst for Emmaus, as he made multiple runs down the right side to lead the attack, then somehow found the energy to sprint the length of the field to disrupt the Central counterattack. Emmaus came into overtime with a new resolve, dominating play and keeping the ball on the Central half of the field. Junior midfielder Marco Silva was able to score the game winner, beating several defenders down the middle then finding senior forward Jake Groh at the top of the box. Groh looked poised to shoot, but instead sent the ball back across the box to Silva who hammered in the winning goal. Emmaus’ record improves to 13-0-0.

The JV Hornets stretched their streak of shutouts to eight consecutive games, beating the Viking JV 5-0. Sophomore forward Brian Flor had a hat trick, netting 3 goals for the Hornets. Freshman midfielders Ty Sommer and Cameron Werner added a goal apiece. The Emmaus JV record stands at 9-2-2.

The Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association again named the undefeated Hornets the top-ranked large school for boys’ soccer in the state of Pennsylvania for the week of September 22, 2019.
TopDrawerSoccer.com also gave Emmaus the top-ranking for boys’ high school soccer in PA, a #3 ranking (improved from #5) in the Mid-Atlantic region, and a #24 (improved from #38) ranking in the nation for the week of September 24, 2019.
USA Today, using the United Soccer Coaches poll, ranked the Hornets #3 in the NJ/PA Region, and #17 in the nation for week 5 2019-2020.
Keep it up Hornets!