It’s always hard to beat the same team twice in the same year, let alone four times. The Parkland High School boys soccer team had defeated rival Emmaus three times in 2021, including the last game in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals two weeks ago.

But the fourth attempt was different as the Green Hornets (14-4-5 overall) scored three first-half goals and blitzed the Trojans (19-3-1) to the tune of a 3-1 victory last Thursday night at Whitehall High School to win the District 11 4A championship. It is the program’s third straight title.

Emmaus scored all three of its goals in a 25-minute span in the first half that started 8:44 into the game when senior Jack Lawrence dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, cut in onto his right foot and curled a shot that clipped the underside of the crossbar and then bounced over the line. Classmate Juan Ramirez was credited with his first of the season when he played a ball off of a Parkland defender for an own goal with 9:29 to play in the first half. Fellow senior Bryan Flor capped the outburst when he redirected a header from classmate Ryan Santos into the net and 5:56 left in the opening frame.

“We didn’t match their pace,” said Parkland head coach Patrick Birns. “They came out flying around and we came out thinking that we’d be able to knock the ball and take three touches. They’re on you after the first touch and we didn’t adjust to it. It took us probably 30 minutes to adjust to that and by then it was 3-0.”

Parkland cut its deficit down when Zachary Reightler converted a penalty kick after a handball in the 18-yard box by an Emmaus defender with 2:03 left in the first half and the teams went to the halftime break with Emmaus leading 3-1. The Trojans controlled the possession and scoring chances for a majority of the second half, but could not find another goal.

Goalie Matthew Link finished with three saves.

Parkland still earned a spot in the PIAA State Tournament. It will take on District One’s second-place team on Tuesday.

“I told them it’s probably on me because it’s two championship games that we didn’t come out and play,” Birns said. “That was probably our two worst performances all year and to do it in championship games, it’s tough to understand.”