The Parkland golf team had a prime opportunity last week to cement its position atop the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) golf standings.

The Trojans entered last week's match against Emmaus as the lone undefeated team in conference play. The Hornets, meanwhile, had lost one match all season, coming a week earlier against Nazareth.

A win over the Hornets would position the Trojans as the favorite to capture the EPC regular season championship with a match against Whitehall in the waiting.

But like last season's undefeated streak ended the hands of the Hornets, so did this one.

All five Emmaus scorers shot an 83 or below, as the Hornets (8-1) handed the Trojans (10-1) their first loss of the season, 406-437, last Thursday at the par-71 Brookside Golf Course in Macungie.

It was a tough time to have one of their worst matches of the season.

"They didn't do well," head coach Scott Levan said. "Nobody had their best day that's for sure."

Should the Trojans take care of the Zephyrs on Thursday, and Emmaus defeats Central Catholic (who also has one league loss) on the same day, the two would finish tied atop the EPC.

Brian Cummings shot an 81 to lead the Trojans. Alex Cwienkala (85), Nick Kshatri (86), Tanner White (91) and Becca Davis (94) rounded out the five scores.

"This time, Brian Cummings and Nick Kshatri did about what they usually shot," Levan said. "Nobody stepped up today."

Depth has been one of the Trojans' biggest strengths this season. Much of the roster has the ability to shoot in the 70-80 range on most outings.

"What's really neat is I have 10 kids that all shoot about the same," Levan said. "Usually what happens in our meets is five of them rise to the occasion out of the eight that play."

Emmaus, on the other hand, saw all five of its scorers shoot an 83 or below. Patrick Bryan shot an eight-over-par 79 to lead the Hornets; Kelsey Patterson shot an 80, and Sam Fritzinger tallied an 81.

Perhaps it was the unfamiliarity with the course that provided the Trojans with challenges throughout the round on Thursday.

With nearly a week between matches, they'll look to put those mistakes behind them in preparation for the regular season finale.

"We're not used to playing on a course like this," Levan said. "This course was a lot different. Some of the other courses we're more familiar with."

Tee time is 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.