The quest for the first District 11 championship since 2009 for the Emmaus High School girls soccer team fell one game short as the Hornets had their run end in the 4A semifinal round last Tuesday, Oct. 28, losing 3-1 to eventual champion and second-seeded Nazareth at J. Birney Crum Stadium.

Third-seeded Emmaus reached the final four after defeating the sixth seed, Freedom, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at Memorial Field.

In that victory, Lizzie Bender scored the lone goal in the first half as the Hornets’ defense and goalie Sadie Wallace kept the Patriots off the scoreboard. Wallace finished with two saves in net.

Six nights later in the game with the Blue Eagles, Nazareth did all of its damage in the first half, netting three goals and earning their first district gold since the 2010 season, a year after the Hornets’ last one.

Bender once again had the lone goal for Emmaus and Wallace finished with three saves on six shots faced. Nazareth’s first two goals were scored by Isabella Danise and the third was added by Abby Kilgreski. Emma Houchin made six saves on seven shots faced.

Emmaus ended the 2025 season with an 18-4 overall record and 15-1 mark in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

The Hornets were the two seed in the conference tournament and made it to the semifinal round after taking down Freedom 1-0 before falling to eventual champion Parkland 1-0 in the semifinals.