After an impressive preseason, Emmaus field hockey has gotten off to a quick 2-0 start with wins over Allen (3-1, 1-1) and Dieruff (3-1, 1-1) by a combined score of 9-1. The team was hit pretty hard by graduation, and offseason injuries to juniors Erika Wilson and Teresa Carotenuto dealt another blow to the team, leaving them with some rebuilding to do.

Against Allen, junior Taylor Bednar and freshman Meredith Sholder each picked up two goals after the team weathered a sluggish start in the early part of the game.

"Very slow start," said coach Sue Butz-Stavin. "Very sluggish and very unusual. I'm not sure what that was all about.

"That first three minutes was pitiful and just lack of communication, lack of desire. I was very disappointed, but we seemed to pick it up. Obviously, we have some concerns and areas that we were very strong in last year are showing a little weakness."

The loss of Carotenuto leaves a lot of the offensive pressure on senior Krissy Mikelson, who notched her first goal of the season against Allen. Both Allen and Dieruff put a lot of defensive pressure on Mikelson, hoping to shut her down offensively, but younger players stepped up to help.

"A lot of teams are going to key in on Krissy," said Butz-Stavin. "So the other players have to step up and fill their role for the team. I think Ty [Taylor Bednar] works very hard and she's very determined and Meredith [Sholder] is fulfilling her job up the field."

Bednar and Sholder both picked up their third goals of the season against Dieruff and Bednar believes that the team can pick up the pace offensively.

"I was just really fired up and ready for our first game and wanted to get out there and do my best," said Bednar. "We are trying to step up, but the girls that we have are doing really well, so I think we'll be fine."

Bednar figures to see a lot of playing time this season, especially if she continues to play as she has in the early going. The junior forward credits her teammates with making her transition to being a full-time player easier.

"All of the girls have been really nice and I'm definitely finding my own place on the team," said Bednar.

Even though the season is still very young, Emmaus stands as the only undefeated team in the Lehigh Valley Conference West Division, although both Nazareth and Liberty have gotten off to 2-0 starts in the league. The Lady Hornets will face Nazareth on the road Thursday and play at Whitehall (1-3, 0-2) next Monday.

Butz-Stavin is looking forward to facing tough competition to help gauge just where her team is and how much work needs to be done for them to repeat as district champions for the 25th straight season.

"We know we have some work to do, but it's a long season and we'll see going forward just how good we can be and where we're at," said Butz-Stavin. "We have some rebuilding to do on both offense and defense, but our girls are working hard and stepping up."