Emmaus field hockey knows to never take any team for granted. That lesson is never truer than when they play Stroudsburg, who has become quite a rival with Emmaus since the Mounties joined the EPC. The two teams have had a number of huge battles on the field, including an epic clash in last year’s District 11 Championship that was won in overtime.

The Lady Hornets came into the district championship with a win over the Mounties in the regular season and in the EPC Championship. They made it a perfect three-for-three on the season with a 3-1 win over Stroudsburg to claim their 28th straight District 11 Championship.

Meredith Sholder gave Emmaus the lead when she scored with 1:53 left in the first half. Just a minute earlier, Sholder had a goal waved off by the referees, but she and the team rebounded well to take a 1-0 lead into the break. The goal was the 52nd of the season for Sholder, who is bound for the University of North Carolina after graduation.

Kayla Kisthardt and Kacie Patton both scored for Emmaus in the second half. Kisthardt’s goal came when she deflected a shot on goal from Sholder, while Patton scored just her second goal.

“We had a pretty good pace tonight,” said Emmaus head coach Sue Butz-Stavin, who won her 890th game as a head coach. “They tested our resilience and we had to show patience to find the back of the goal cage. Defensively, we stayed tough, just one breakdown and you know how fast Stroudsburg can score, so I was hoping for an insurance goal and we got one.”

The game featured younger players like Patton and Kisthardt getting goals and Joy Muller assisting on Sholder’s first half goal. Butz-Stavin has been pleased with the development of young players and gave praise to Muller for being a key player to come off the bench to help the team.

“I just like to give us a fresh pair of legs in the game,” said Muller. “As long as you go out and play your role, we know that we’ll be fine.”

Another young player, Patton, took a crossing pass from junior Emily Ingalls off a corner to tap a shot into the left corner of the goal cage. The play worked to perfection, with Stroudsburg keying on Sholder, while the younger players executed.

“Our corner offense really connected well today,” said Patton. “It was exciting, because usually Leah [Zelllner] is our top inserter, but I got to play that role and we were able to make it work. They gave me an easy shot on that one.”

For Butz-Stavin, the game was an emotional one, coming on the heels of her longtime friend and field hockey pioneer Betsy Wilson passing away five days before Emmaus faced Stroudsburg. Wilson, 79, not only helped field hockey develop as a high school sport, but was a great advocate for girls sports programs throughout District 11.

“She was a very dear friend of mine for over 40-some years,” said Butz-Stavin, pointing to the sky. “What she has done for women’s sports, and for field hockey in the Lehigh Valley was tremendous. We will miss her dearly. This one’s for you, Betts.”

Emmaus officially began defense of its state championship against C.B. East in the first round of the PIAA Tournament Tuesday.