In their penultimate game of the regular season the Northampton girls soccer team took on Parkland for Senior Night at Al Erdosy Stadium on Monday.

The K-Kids battled heroically against the 13-2-1 Trojans, but a breakaway goal 8 minutes into the second half by Mackenzie McNeeley was the only score the visitors needed to go home with a 1-0 win.

“I’m very proud of the way we played,” said head coach Trojano Bastidas. “I think a lot of it had to do with Senior Night and using the moment to inspire us and play up to our potential. I thought we were going to go into an overtime situation and then it was anyone’s game.”

The Kids did not have many scoring chances on the night, but down a single goal, one good chance was all they needed.

Star forward Brielle Szoke had been bottled up by the Trojan defense all night, but as the clock wound down, she found herself with possession and a tiny bit of space just outside the box. She juked two Parkland backs and sent a strong shot toward the Trojan goal.

The ball eluded the outstretched keeper and … rang off the post with 27 seconds left in the game, drawing an audible groan of disappointment from the home crowd.

Still, it was a valiant effort by the Kids who were without their other dynamic forward, Alayna Hahn, who has an arm injury and according to Bastidas will miss the rest of the season.

Grace Caulwell had an outstanding game in goal to keep the contest within reach. She recorded 10 saves, several of which were dives to deflect balls that seemed destined for the far side of the net.

Northampton finished its regular season against Whitehall Wednesday night in a game that occurred after Press deadlines.

The team has locked up berths in the EPC and district playoffs with a 10-7 record overall and 9-6 in conference.

The final bracket for the league tournament will not be known until after Wednesday’s games, but the Kids will be on the road for the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Their opponent will likely be either Parkland, Nazareth, or Emmaus.