There is a vibe around the Northampton field hockey program that this collection of talent has the potential to break through to reach a district final and qualify for states for the first time in recent memory.

Knocking off 30-something consecutive time district champion Emmaus is another matter. The K-Kids did manage to score the first goal the Hornets have surrendered this year on a tally by sophomore Madi Williamson, but the undisputed queens of the sport prevailed 7-1 last Friday.

A deep postseason run is going to require beating the likes of Easton and Parkland. Northampton took their regular season shot at the Rovers Tuesday on Joan Kremus field.

The game could not have started worse for the Kids. Easton forced a turnover near midfield and scored just 42 seconds into the contest.

Northampton shook off the shock and equalized at the 7:17 mark of the first quarter when Lauren Reznik pounced on a loose ball in a scrum in front of the Easton goalie and knocked it into the right side of the cage.

The Kids’ momentum was short-lived as the Rovers were awarded a pair of consecutive corners and cashed in on the second when Allison Clark found herself unmarked on the near side post and scored easily less than two minutes later.

The K-Kids had a couple of quality chances to tie the game. Williamson narrowly missed the wide side of the goal early in the second period and she also had an apparent goal waved off in the third for the shot coming from outside the circle.

Clark completed her hat trick for Easton in the waning minutes of the game when Northampton was pressing for the tying goal. Final score: 3-1 Rovers.

“We talked about that first minute. That disastrous first minute. They were just more tenacious in the circle than we were today,” explained head coach Carrie Saul. “I think otherwise it was pretty evenly matched game (5 shots on goal to 3). They didn’t give up corners (6-1 in favor of Easton). We needed to test their goalie and we didn’t execute that at all. But between the 25’s, it was pretty good.”

Perhaps the most important game of the regular season for the Kids will take place Tuesday night when they travel to Parkland. A win against the Trojans would put them on track to secure the third seed in districts. Teams want to avoid being in the 4 and 5 slots because that sets up a semifinal matchup with Emmaus.