Parkland soccer coach Al Haddad knew he was leading his girls into a tough game against Emmaus, but he also knew that their task got a lot easier when Hannah Gombos scored a goal with just eight seconds remaining in the first-half of play to take a 1-0 lead.

Gombos took a pass from Jess Wetherhold and was able to slide it past goalie Katie Thomas. The goal broke the ice and helped push the Lady Trojans to a 2-0 win over Emmaus in Lehigh Valley Conference play.

"That was huge, because as much as it pumps us up, it crushes the opponent," said Haddad after the win. "I think it was so huge, because at the half, it would have been 0-0 and they're still pumped and talking about some little adjustments and now, they have to talk about how they're going to come back and beat us."

Wetherhold played a big role in the win over Emmaus, with a goal and an assist. It was Wetherhold who sent the ball to Gombos for the late first-half goal and then later in the game, Wetherhold scored the insurance goal for Parkland pushing the lead to 2-0.

"They gave me a little space on defense and I took it," said Wetherhold about her goal. "We knew a 1-0 lead just wasn't safe and really wanted to get at least one more to give us a little breathing room."

Wetherhold, a senior, has played well for Parkland and coach Haddad has been particularly impressed, since she has been playing hurt. Her dedication has inspired other team members who see the effort she is putting into the season.

"She has a desire to play this game, which is absolutely spectacular, and other girls feed off of her because everyone knows that she's hurt," said Haddad.

The win over Emmaus has just been part of what is shaping up to be a great season for the Parkland girls. With wins this past week over Emmaus, Freedom, Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic, the Lady Trojans are now 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the LVC. They have outscored their opponents 47-5 this season and have forged a six-game winning streak during which they've outscored their opponents 32-1.

They've needed all the wins they can get, because the LVC North is a tough division. Nazareth, who Parkland beat this past week, is also 9-2 and the Whitehall Zephyrs are a perfect 10-0, including a 1-0 win over Parkland early in the season. The Trojans still have a game remaining against Nazareth and finish out their season with a rematch against Whitehall.

"It's a tough division," said Haddad. "We don't get much of a break and we have to just stay focused, because Whitehall and Nazareth are both very good teams and we've got other tough games coming up on the schedule, so certainly, nothing has been decided yet."

Perhaps upcoming opponents will need to step up their efforts against Parkland, because Wetherhold, for one, isn't letting up.

"Actually, I think we can still play even better," said Wetherhold. "We're a good team and we keep getting better, so I think we can play even better than we have so far."