It seems like it has been the norm as of late, especially during the 2016 season. When the Emmaus and Parkland boys soccer teams meet, the games are competitive, and usually end up with a close score in the end. Last Monday night’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference showdown at Emmaus High School’s Memorial field was no different.

Parkland’s Josh Kiser scored with exactly one minute left on the clock in regulation, negating an earlier goal by the Hornets’ Jon Heberlein and tying the game at 1-1.

Both teams had chances in the two overtime periods, but neither were able to capitalize, and the game ended at 1-1. It was the second game between the two rivals this season, and the second tie. They battled to a 0-0 draw back on September 2.

“I’m proud of our efforts tonight,” said Emmaus head coach John Cari. “We’ve been in a little bit of a skid as of late, and we got a top team in the league here at our place, and we gave them everything we had. It’s a shame we didn’t put it away, but I’m proud of the effort. It showed our boys that they can play with anyone. We’ve been struggling lately, but we played with some heart and energy tonight, and that was good to see.”

Emmaus (5-5-4 overall, 5-4-3 EPC) had lost four of its last five games. But the Parkland-Emmaus game always brings out the best in the players on each team.

During the first half, the Trojans (10-1-2 overall, 9-0 EPC), who haven’t lost a conference game, led the game in shots on goal, but the Green Hornets’ defense and goalie Dylan Sosnow (8 saves) made plays that prevented any damage.

“We felt early on that we had to control the midfield or they would be able to get the ball down the field and create scoring chances,” said Cari. “It became a game of through-balls, where both teams tried to get behind the defenders with players streaking towards the net. I thought we had some speed out there and did a good job running what we had to. They may have out-shot us, but I think we had the better opportunities to score. It just didn’t always happen.”

With the score deadlocked at zero, Emmaus set up for a direct kick from about 30 yards away. The ball was played in and found the head of James Haag. Haag’s header hit off the crossbar and fell to the feet of Heberlein, who neatly slotted the ball home between the legs of Trojans goalie Jacob Varrato to put the Green Hornets ahead with 33:30 remaining.

From there, however, Parkland put relentless pressure on the Emmaus net. After numerous attempts, the Trojans finally broke through with a Kiser header with a minute left.

“It was a tough way to give up a goal when our defense was holding strong all game,” Cari said. “They had their opportunities. We just let one slip by.”

After all of the excitement of the first 80 minutes, the two 10-minute overtime periods were less dramatic. Each team had a shot on goal, but neither really threatened to score and both were happy to leave without taking a loss.

“It’s a typical Emmaus-Parkland game,” said Cari. “Both teams battled hard, and the kids really wanted this one. I’m proud of the effort of our boys, and the way they fought all game.”