The Emmaus girls soccer team is preparing for season No. 2 under head coach Sarah Oswald. The Lady Hornets’ play over the summer was a solid indication that the upcoming fall season figures to be a successful one under the former Hornet All-American player.

Emmaus suited up two teams in this year’s Lehigh Valley Summer Soccer League at Lehigh University.

In Group A, the Lady Hornets 1 team was made up of senior players, half of the sophomore class and a few incoming freshman.

Lady Hornets 2, playing in Group B this summer, included the entire junior class and the other half of the sophomore group.

“I was very impressed with both teams’ play throughout the summer,” Oswald said. “While some teams in the league had one team in it with all returning players, I think it speaks volumes to the effort and success both teams had in the league by splitting our team in half.”

While the returning Hornets were split talent-wise among two squads, there was plenty of success across both teams in June and July.

Lady Hornets 1 breezed through the regular season undefeated at 11-0, while Lady Hornets 2 wasn’t far behind with a 9-2 regular season record. When the two teams met up in the semifinals of the playoffs, Lady Hornets 1 came out on top, 1-0, before falling to CSG Falcons in the championship game.

While qualifying two teams for the eight-team playoffs was an accomplishment on its own as only the top four teams from each group qualified, Oswald was looking beyond just the results.

“As a coaching staff,” she said, “we look at the summer league as a way for our kids to continue playing together throughout the season, to get touches on the ball in the offseason, and for it to be relaxing and enjoyable for them.

“The competition we experience in the summer league prepares us for the competition we will see in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Any time the girls have an opportunity to play against good competition, there are always benefits that will come out of it in the end.”

The competition throughout the summer included plenty of teams that Emmaus will see when the fall season begins in just a few weeks. Central Catholic proved it will be a force to be reckoned with after losing one game throughout the regular season in Group A, and Nazareth went 7-3-1 for third place in the standings.

But Emmaus teams headlined the league in a number of categories. Lady Hornets 1 scored a stunning 70 goals in 11 regular season games, the most of either group in the LVSSL. The next closest was Central Catholic with 63, and neither team besides those two eclipsed 50.

Lady Hornets 2 paved the way defensively for the rest of the league, allowing nine goals in the regular season (less than one per game).

“Besides the summer league, the girls are training three times a week, and participating in speed and agility training,” Oswald said. “They have already dedicated themselves to having a successful fall season.”

The talent is clearly there on the field, but the senior leadership of a number of returning players figures to be just as critical this fall.

Along with captain Reilly McGinnis, seniors Colleen Hanvey, Maddie Nader, Mackenzie McCann, Julia Dunn, Julianna Fedorich and Brenna Skekel have paved the way for the rest of the team since last year.

“They have done a fantastic job getting the underclassman acclimated to high school soccer, organizing fitness sessions, and bringing the entire group together as a whole,” Oswald said. “As a coach, I have never had a group of seniors that have been more interested in preparing for the upcoming season and wanted everyone to be on the same page.”

Practices for the upcoming season are in a matter of days. The Hornets open the season at home against Parkland on Sept. 2, at 2:30 p.m.