Tuesday afternoon Joan Kremus field hosted a clash of two of the top 10 AAAA boys soccer teams in Pennsylvania, according to the PA Soccer Coaches Association.

Northampton (ranked 8th) and Emmaus (ranked 4th) put their undefeated records on the line and when it was all said and done, the Hornets walked away with a 2-0 win.

The first half was quite even with Northampton having more possession, but Emmaus producing more shots on goal, 5 to 4.

One of the wildest sequences you could ever see occurred with about 6 minutes remaining in the first half. An initial Emmaus shot caromed off the bottom of crossbar and landed outside the goal. The Kids’ keeper Ryan Nahf got a hand on the Hornet follow-up and caused it to deflect off the right-side post.

As the scramble in front of the goal continued, another Emmaus player headed the ball just outside the left post. However, a foul was called giving the Hornets a penalty kick.

Nahf was equal to the task as he knocked away the attempt that was headed for the top left corner of the goal and there was much rejoicing by the K-Kids and their fans.

Unfortunately for Northampton, their joy was short-lived. Emmaus received a corner with under two minutes left in the half. A low kick was sent in and the first shot hit the post, but Caeden Thornton buried the rebound to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead at the half.

Emmaus had the better pressure in the second half and finally broke through with 3:28 left in the game. Hoah Degado served a free kick into the box from 35 yards out and Brennan Stack headed it home.

Some late pressure by the K-Kids failed to generate a goal as the Hornets completed their fifth shutout in as many games this season.

“I like the fact that this was a big game for us because we lost a ton of guys from last year,” explained head coach Chris Bastidas. “We didn’t know what to expect coming into the season, but our expectations for ourselves don’t change in the all the years I’ve been here. We want to fight for that top seed and home field advantage in the playoffs.”

Bastidas continued, “We’re not hoping to be close to a great team like Emmaus. We’re upset because we lost. They’re very tough to score against. We were around the goal. We had some chances to score in both halves. Balls were just off frame. Balls didn’t get to our foot on the end of crosses. I thought we were right there.”