After a big win over Parkland, the Emmaus girls soccer team had a bit of a letdown with a 4-0 loss to Nazareth and a 2-0 loss to Whitehall. Sandwiched between the two losses was a 2-1 win over Wilson West Lawn. The Hornets quickly got things back on track and downed Easton 2-1 last week.

The Red Rovers came out firing against Emmaus with three shots on goal in the first five minutes of the game. Goalie Alexa Ryan was impenetrable and turned aside all three shots.

“They were playing it through the defense a little bit more and were just coming back-and-forth,” said Ryan, who made five saves in the game.

Easton broke through with a goal from Caroline Finelli with just under six minutes left in the first half, but the Rovers didn’t get to celebrate for long. Maddie Fey set up Lily Schmitt with a perfect pass and Schmitt scored her first goal of the season just 37 seconds after Easton had taken a 1-0 lead.

“We had opportunities before the Easton goal to get balls back post and finish them,” Emmaus head coach Sarah Oswald said. “Maddie sent a great ball across the net. Kellie [Reith] and Lily were both there and Lily happened to get the goal. To be able to answer a goal and not crumble and make it an equal game was important for us.”

In the second half, it was Emmaus that came out firing and Lindsay Phillips beat goalie Christina Finelli for her second goal of the season. The goal was set up by a free kick from Isabella Ingato, a sophomore.

“Tonight was a full performance from our kids and that’s not something that we’ve seen,” said Oswald. “We asked them to play the second half the same way that they came out in the first and we were able to get another goal and go ahead and we played well.”

Ryan, a junior, is showing that her sophomore season was no fluke. She is taking control of the team’s defense and showing strong leadership on the field for Emmaus. Right now, her confidence is high and she’s crediting the play of the defenders in front of her for much of the team’s success.

“Last year I came on fast, right away and now I have a lot more confidence,” she said. “I feel like every game I’m getting more confident. Our communication is getting better and better and that’s what we’re really working on at practice, with the whole formation in the back. We’re doing a new straight line in the back and communication is really important.”

After beating Easton, Emmaus tied Freedom on Saturday and then downed Pocono Mountain West 5-1 Monday. The Hornets are now 4-2-1 in the EPC and 5-2-1 overall. The win over Parkland is still the highlight of the season, but it’s left a bull’s-eye squarely on the backs of Emmaus.

“Since we beat them, I feel like we have a lot more pressure on our backs and teams are coming after us,” said Ryan. “We’re working hard and just trying to beat them all.”

Having the added pressure is something that the older players on the team are used to because of how competitive the EPC has been. For the newer players who are starting to see more playing time now, they’ve had to learn that there are a number of teams in the conference able to knock off a top team at any time.

“There are a ton of kids on our team that have played in this conference and they understand that everybody is coming for everybody, especially this year when it’s a pretty even playing field,” said Oswald. “Some of the younger kids are learning that very quickly and I think this was the best game we’ve had defensively through the midfield and into the attack. I think that it’s finally coming together for us and we’re going to hope that the same performance and the same can be seen every game.”