You couldn't really blame boys' soccer coach John Cari if he asked for a do-over on the start of the season.

Just three games into the year, Cari has seen his team get off to a 1-2 start which has included the team's 21-game home unbeaten streak come to an end, the first loss to Allen in 11 games and he has had to bench four starters for violating team policy.

The good news is that the team came back with a strong 11-0 drubbing of Dieruff for their first win of the season. Hopefully, that win will get the team back on track and the players will know that the coaching staff is serious about the things that they stress.

"I can only hope my message got across to the entire team. Our priorities should be school, soccer and family," stressed Cari. "I feel the team knows we Coach Grim and myself mean business and that the program is bigger than any one individual."

The benching of four players played a big part in the team's 2-1 loss to Allen. In addition to being without the four starting players, starting forward Adam Kita missed the game with an injury. The shortage of players meant some unfamiliar faces in the lineup and also had players switching positions to cover holes.

If the coach was frustrated, odds are that the players were frustrated as well by the team's 0-2 start. That set the Dieruff Huskies up for a solid beating at the hands of the Hornets when the two teams met last Friday.

A.J. Bishop scored four goals against the Huskies and assisted on another, playing a part in five of the 11 Emmaus goals. Eight other players either scored a goal or picked up an assist in the offensive explosion. Ben Roda netted two goals, while Taylor Brown, Alec Francello, Charlie Jerry, Kevin Kender and Austin Sosnow all scored for Emmaus.

The return of Bishop has been a bright spot for Emmaus. The senior led the team in scoring in his sophomore season, but transferred to the Phelps School to work on his academics in his junior year. With that all straightened out, Bishop has returned to the Hornets for his senior season and is off to a good start.

Cari believes that Bishop has natural talents that will do a lot for the Emmaus offense this season.

"We're glad to have A.J. back in the fold," said Cari. "His skill set and nose for the goal will certainly be a big part of our offensive plan."

This week will start to tell whether the team has gotten straightened out or if there are more concerns to be dealt with. Five straight games against Lehigh Valley Conference opponents are on the schedule, with games against Nazareth and Whitehall at home this week.