Whenever Parkland and Emmaus meet, in any sport, it’s a big game. Add to that the fact that the latest go-around in field hockey came in the opening round of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference tournament and the game becomes even bigger. Fortunately for Emmaus (15-0 EPC, 19-0 overall), they’ve got plenty of firepower, combined with a strong defense and were able to walk away with a 4-1 win over their rivals this past Saturday.

Maddie Orobono, Meredith Sholder, Maddie Dorn and Kacie Patton all scored goals for Emmaus in the win over the Lady Trojans. Allie Bianco, a sophomore, scored the only Parkland goal, ruining the shutout for goalkeeper Paige Garloff. Sholder’s goal was her 53rd of the season, extending her career-high total as she closes in on the all-time EHS scoring mark of 158. Sholder also assisted on the goal by Dorn, giving her a career-high 31 assists on the year. Sholder currently has 147 career goals to go with 77 assists in her career.

Orobono and Patton are freshmen players, while Dorn and Sholder are juniors. Continued strong play from younger players keeps driving the team. Although, after a season full of experience, those young players have grown up quickly.

“Right now, they’re all quality field hockey players, regardless of what class they’re coming out of,” said head coach Sue Butz-Stavin. “Postseason, we look at their field hockey attributes and whatever they can bring to the team with their athleticism and hand-eye coordination. We just look to make things happen out there now.”

Orobono got the scoring started with 17:42 left to play in the first half when she made a nice move in front of the goal and slipped a shot past goalkeeper Brie Barraco to open the scoring.

“We had a rebound off the goal and kept batting at it, but just couldn’t get it,” said Orobono. “Then, the ball broke away and I just did a spin move at it and lifted it into the goal.”

It was the third time this season that the Hornets have downed Parkland (6-7-1, 10-8-1), but coach Butz-Stavin wasn’t allowing her team to take its rivals lightly.

“They can be a threat on attack, especially on corners and they’re a great post finishing team,” said Butz-Stavin. “Grace Royer is a threat and Hannah Daniels does a nice job marking up on Meredith [Sholder]. They’re always a quality team and a competitive team and Parkland always brings that extra emotion to a battle, anytime that we compete with them.

“Brie [Barraco] is an excellent keeper and she comes out on plays a lot, so the time to get her is when she’s down. We just kept battling, but it would have been nice to put a few more points on the board, but a 4-1 win is a great win for us.”

Orobono pointed out that the team is confident in its chances as it seeks not only another EPC title and a 27th straight District 11 championship, but also to again advance deep into the state playoffs.

“It’s exciting for everyone and I feel really confident in how far we’re going to go,” said Orobono. “Since I am one of the young ones, they’re always there for me and it’s nice. It’s almost like having an older sister to look up to. We just have to go hard to every ball and keep pushing ourselves, because if we keep pushing, like we always do, we play well and we can go far.”

Easton, Whitehall and Stroudsburg also advanced in the EPC Tournament with wins on Saturday.