Emmaus High School Boys Soccer

The Emmaus Boys Soccer Team rallied from a 2-goal deficit with under 20 minutes to play to remain undefeated and post their 6th win of the season. Whitehall had a goal in the first half to take the 1-0 lead, then scored again in the second to increase the lead to 2-0. Senior forward Andrew Gaines opened the scoring for the Hornets, finding the ball in a crowded box and shooting a bullet into the back of the net. A few minutes later, junior Alex Toto, making his first start as a defender, scored from a set piece, putting foot to a ricocheting ball to tie the game at 2 goals apiece. Senior forward Jake Groh had the game winner, extending a leg beyond a defender to poke the ball beyond the keeper’s reach into the right side of the goal.

The JV Hornets dominated play against the JV Zephyrs, engineering a 4-0 shutout victory. Sophomore forward Brian Flor had 2 goals, while freshman defender Blaise Verrastro and sophomore midfielder Jack Lawrence added one goal apiece. Freshman Max McGrath and sophomore Ty Bleiler combined for the shutout in goal. The JV Hornets record stands at 3-2-1.

Behind the solid goalkeeping of junior Chris Buck, the Emmaus Boys Soccer Team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over host Downingtown West on Saturday September 7. Senior midfielder Eric Johnson scored the only goal of the day, pounding a direct kick from just outside the penalty area on the right into the top left corner. The Hornets controlled the pace of the play, although the Whippets were able to use speed to mount several countering attacks. However, Buck and his defense were able to protect the goal area. The Hornets improved their record to 5-0-0.

The JV Hornets were depleted by injury and call-ups to varsity, but made a strong showing in a 1-0 loss to the JV Whippets. The JV are now 2-2-1.

The Emmaus Boys Soccer Team moved to 4-0-0 with a victory at Nazareth High School on September 6. Junior forward Hudson Peck recorded his third goal of the season as did junior midfielder Pat Walsh. Senior forward Andrew Gaines notched his third assist of the season and junior midfielder Josh Whalen tallied his second.

The JV Hornets resumed their winning ways with a 2-0 victory over the Northampton JV. Freshman forward Cam Werner delivered a solid header to open the scoring and sophomore forward Logan Mains was able to dribble around the keeper and tuck the ball into the net for the second goal. Emmaus JV moved to 2-1-1 on the season.

Emmaus Boys Soccer hosted the Parkland Trojans at Memorial Field September 5 as the teams held their annual Red Card For Cancer joint fundraiser. Hornet senior starters AJ Febbraro and Thomas Hanvey were off due to injury and the squad started slowly. Parkland scored early for a 1-0 lead and kept the ball on the Hornets’ end most of the first half of play. Emmaus evened the score early in the second half. Senior defender Jake Perry directed a free kick from just inside the Parkland half toward the far post and junior midfielder Pat Walsh elevated above the crowd to earn the goal with a well-struck header. The Hornets came alive and played a strong second half but neither team could manage to score again in regulation. Three minutes into overtime, Perry again took a free kick from the midfield directed toward the far post. Walsh again slipped behind the defense to strike a shot on goal. This time the Trojan keeper deflected the shot but senior forward Andrew Gaines charged through to drill home the game winner off the deflection. The Hornets moved to 3-0-0 on the season. TV2 Sports highlights can be watched at: https://vimeo.com/358320404.

The Hornet JV lost to Parkland JV 3-0 in the opening game of the evening to bring their record to 1-1-1.

In a September 2nd poll, TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked the Hornets Boys Soccer Team #9 in the state of Pennsylvania. Hornet Pride!!