It’s hard to find a flaw with the Emmaus field hockey team. But if there’s one thing through the Hornets’ first six games that could be a cause for concern, it’s the fact that they haven’t been tested yet in 2018.

Emmaus (6-0) cruised to a dominant win over Hazleton on Saturday afternoon. Riley Baughman and Annika Herbine each scored four goals in the Hornets’ 12-0 shutout at Memorial Field.

“Regardless of their age group and being young, [Hazleton] has hockey ability and they had it throughout the whole game,” Emmaus head coach Sue Butz-Stavin said. “Even though we were trying to create different situations so the score wouldn’t get so high, we want to be tested.”

Baughman and the Hornets got the scoring going early. The senior forward opened the game with three straight goals to put the hosts in front in the opening minutes.

“As soon as we get the first one or two goals, we realize that we can do this and start playing together,” Baughman said. “We set the tone for the game. As soon as you put up the intensity, everyone else sort of picks it up and plays together.”

“I think at times early in the game we finished a little bit better in the scoring box area,” Butz-Stavin said. “Even though we’ve scored a lot of goals this season, we were struggling finishing. Our corners in the first half were executed.”

Herbine would then get in on the scoring to put Emmaus up 4-0. Then, Baughman’s fourth and final goal made it 5-0 midway through the opening half.

Kayla Kisthardt and Mackenzie Bruns each added goals in the opening half, while Herbine scored three more before intermission came with Emmaus holding a 10-0 lead.

“We’re pretty happy with the way we are controlling the ball and our setups,” Butz-Stavin said. “We just have to be more mindful of our individual receptions and defensive skill work.”

“Offensively I think we did a really good job moving the ball through the midfield,” Baughman said. “Our transfers throughout the middle of the field are great because then we can get the ball to the other side of the field and get it up. Defensively I think we did a good job stepping up to the ball and keeping it out of the circle.”

Alexis Kociban’s goal with 17:42 to play in the second half increased the Hornets’ lead to 11-0. Brooke Mancini capped Emmaus’s scoring day two minutes later with a goal.

Through six games, Emmaus has outscored its opponents 75-0. The defense has largely been uncontested, and the same was evident against Hazleton. Hazleton managed just one shot on goal in 60 minutes of play.

And while the Hornets can only play the teams listed on their schedule, they hope to be tested sooner rather than later to prepare for the tougher teams it expects to face in the postseason.

“It holds us back only because we don’t know what to expect,” Baughman said. “As coach said, our defense hasn’t been tested. But it gives us the chance in practice to work harder and push our defense even harder. It’s kind of a win-win situation.”