On a brisk Monday evening, the Whitehall field hockey team was looking to avenge an earlier loss to Emmaus when they hosted the mighty Green Hornets at home and almost pulled off the upset.

With the Green Hornets ahead 2-0 midway through the second half, Rachel Schannauer's goal to pull the Zephs within one sent a charge through the Zephyr Sports Complex. She got a feed from Kourtney Cunningham and sent a dribbler past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Tori Laczo who couldn't stop the ball before it crossed the line for a goal.

Trailing by just a goal, the Zephs looked to tie the game and send it into overtime. All night long they were able to mount strong offensive rushes, finishing with eight shots against a team that's known for its suffocating defense, allowing just four goals over 17 games this season.

With under a minute left to play, Kylee Cunningham raced down the left sideline and got deep into Green Hornet territory, beating the defender to the corner where she sent a centering pass into the circle. Kourtney Cunningham got her stick on it, but wasn't able to get off a shot as Emmaus escaped with a 2-1 victory to remain atop of the Skyline Division of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

The Zephs fall to 9-3-1 in the EPC, but retain their grip on second place.

"It was a high energy game and we played our game," said head coach Emily Repsher. "We came together. We worked on what are weaknesses were and continued to make progress from the last game. I couldn't be more proud of my team tonight."

Once again they had to contend with Meredith Sholder who popped a hat trick against them in the first meeting. This time they shut down the talented forward, highlighted by a sprawling save by goalkeeper Kayla Nailor on a breakaway. With Sholder barreling down the middle of the field, Nailor came out of the goal mouth and challenged the leading goal scorer in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, knocking the ball loose.

Nailor finished with 12 saves and kept the Zephs in the game with her play.

"Kayla had the game of her life," said Repsher. "Everywhere across the board we had an excellent game."

Nailor wasn't the only one keep Sholder in check. Repsher said that Taylor George did an excellent job of shutting her down on penalty corners. That was no small task since the Green Hornets finished the game with 18.

In fact, Repsher said that their entire defensive corps played a sound game, holding the Hornets well below their scoring average. They came into the contest averaging a blistering 5.87 goals per game.

"We we just tactically awesome on defense," said Repsher. "We played as a unit. It was marking, communication, all across the board. Excellent team play."

The Green Hornets opened the scoring at the 14:26 mark of the first half when Alicia Cooperman was able to connect through a scrum in front of the goal mouth, giving the Hornets the 1-0 lead. That was followed by Erika Wilson's goal in the second half that caught Nailor leaning after a brisk crossing pass.

Facing that 2-0 deficit, the Zephs kept the pressure on, getting on the board with Schannauer's goal at the 7:10 mark of the second period.

While it ended 2-1, Repsher believes that can build off the game.

"We can definitely take this and use it moving forward," said. "We have a retaliation game against Parkland, and it's senior night, so hopefully we can come back with a W."

The Zephs came into the game fresh off two wins, defeating Nazareth 4-2 last Thursday, followed by a 2-1 win over Northampton Area High School on Saturday.

In the Blue Eagles win, the Zephs got first period goals from Rachel Schannauer and Kassidy Cunningham, the latter goal assisted by Kylee Cunningham. In the second half, Kourtney Cunningham scored twice, the first of which was aided by Cara Bonshak.

Against the K-Kids, Kourtney Cunningham got the Zephs on the board in the first period, while Schannauer got the game winner in the second for the 2-1 win. Additionally, Nailor recorded 13 saves in the victory.

With one game remaining, the Zephs look to solidify their position among the eight teams vying for a spot for the league championship.