Emmaus captured its third straight one-goal win in the postseason with a thrilling 2-1 win over Central Bucks East to advance to the semifinals of the PIAA Class 3A field hockey championship. Not only was the latest victory a one-goal game, but it took double-overtime to decide the outcome. Emmaus had previously beaten Downingtown West 1-0 and finished off their District 11 championship run with a 1-0 win over Easton.

The game against Downingtown West featured a 37-minute fog delay in the first half of the game. The fog had rolled in during the Class A game between Lehighton and Susquenita, but wasn’t dense enough to delay the contest.

Less than halfway through the first half, officials conferred with both coaches and District 11 officials to call the delay with Emmaus up 1-0 on a goal by Annika Herbine, her 45th of the season. Herbine’s goal came off of a corner with an assist from Riley Baughman.

In the quarterfinal win over CB East (20-4), perhaps the officials felt that yellow cards would match the green and gold in the Emmaus uniforms nicely. Emmaus, uncharacteristically, picked up seven yellow cards in the game, playing much of the game short-handed. Kacie Patton picked up her first of two yellow cards just prior to the Patriots going up 1-0 on a goal by Emma Donnelly, her seventh of the season.

“In dealing with all of the carding that we were given, I thought we had great perseverance and team effort,” said Emmaus head coach Sue Butz-Stavin. “Whatever the officials threw at us we overcame. Usually, you don’t win with those odds. We started the game with one [player] out and we ended the game with one out.”

Emmaus came out in the second half with somewhat of a renewed effort. Patton looked to make up for the time that she lost on the field. She worked her way into the crease and put a shot past goalie Emily Bullard to tie the game with 21:35 left in regulation.

The two teams shared possession in the first overtime period and early in the second overtime period, Emmaus suffered a big loss when Kayla Kisthardt was removed by a yellow card. Kisthardt is one of the mainstays on the Emmaus defense.

With Kisthardt out, Emmaus didn’t lay back and wait for her to return. Instead, the Hornets went on the attack with Herbine leading the way. The sophomore forward fired a shot that Bullard was able to kick-save and on the restart, Herbine threaded the ball through a number of defenders to get it to Joy Muller, who had an open look and didn’t waste the opportunity. The goal was Muller’s 22nd goal of the season and sends Emmaus to the semifinals against Hershey.

“It was well played all around,” noted Butz-Stavin. “It was a great pass and Joy was in the right spot at the right time. Riley [Baughman] was in front of the net and I don’t know if that distracted the goalie or what happened, but we got the goal and we get to play again.”

The matchup with Hershey (17-4-1) features a showdown with Maddie Zimmerman, who Butz-Stavin admitted can cause problems. She’s seen Zimmerman maneuver through players and take the ball from one end of the field to the other on her own and cap the jaunt with a goal. Zimmerman can score goals, but her best attribute is in her hand speed and ability to move around the field. Butz-Stavin called Zimmerman a “delight to watch” and said containing her will be a key. Butz-Stavin also gave out some lofty praise to Zimmerman, comparing her favorably to Emmaus’ all-time leading scorer Meredith Sholder, although noting that she doesn’t have quite the scoring ability of Sholder.

Hershey also has a solid goalie and complimenting players around Zimmerman. They’re also playing well, having knocked off District 1 champion Owen J. Roberts in the first round and defending state champion Penn Manor in the quarterfinals, setting up a tough outing for Emmaus. Of course, for Emmaus (26-0), which has weathered tougher postseason competition to remain in the hunt for a 13th state championship and the pursuit of another undefeated season.

“I think it’s just like any other state semifinal game,” Butz-Stavin said. “You just have to play your best and be better than the team you’re playing on that given day.”