Liberty was hoping that it would be able to come into Emmaus' Memorial Field and erase the memories of their regular season overtime loss to the Hornets. In that game, the two teams were scoreless through regulation and it was A.J. Bishop who scored the winning goal 34 seconds into overtime.

This time around was the post season, so it figured that it would be Adam Kita who would handle the heroics. Kita scored with 10:46 left in the first overtime, to collect the winning goal and send the Hornets to the semifinals.

Kita is known for his post-season heroics, scoring the winning goal in the LVC semis against Freedom this season and also scoring the winning goals in last season's district semifinals against Parkland and finals against Stroudsburg. While Kita - a senior - realizes how well he's played for his team, he's slow to take credit for his heroics.

"Every game could be my last game from this point on. To tell you the truth, I credit the whole team. As a team, we really pick up our effort as the season goes on and I guess I'm just in the right place at the right time," said Kita.

While Kita is slow to accept accolades, his coach, John Cari is quick to throw the praise at Kita.

"He understands it. In his freshman year, he scored in the quarterfinals against Parkland," remembered Cari. "He understands what this is about, he's a passionate player and a good leader for us. I'm glad to see that it pays off for kids like that, because he's a great guy."

Cari knew that the win over Liberty wasn't going to be easy and he saw a team that improved since the last time that the two teams met. Cari was concerned because Liberty is a physical team that is able to stretch the field, which is exactly the kind of team that presents problems for his club. He also knew that Liberty could well present the toughest test for Emmaus on their side of the bracket.

"Relieved is the answer," said Cari when he was asked about getting past Liberty. "My stomach was turning this morning; I was not comfortable in this game. They were doing what they wanted to do and that's when troubles come. We worked on that exact thing yesterday in practice; we worked on receiving, turning and doing it, so it's nice to see something paid off."

Kita provided the lone offense, but it was goalkeeper Kevin Fine, who provided heroics between the posts all game for the Hornets. Fine made one diving save that Kita referred to as "the best save he's made all season." In all, Fine was credited with five saves in the win over Liberty.

Getting past Liberty was a major hurdle for Emmaus, who will now play third-seeded Southern Lehigh in the semifinals Thursday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown. If Emmaus downs the Spartans, they'll play either Parkland or top-seeded Stroudsburg in the finals. Matching up with Stroudsburg would provide a rematch of last season's District 11 final, giving Kita a chance for somewhat of an instant replay. Of course, the Hornets never shy away from a game against LVC rival Parkland, who Kita believes will pull off an upset in the semis.

"We have a tough road, but we think our biggest obstacle is out of the way after this win [against Liberty]," Kita said.

When asked whether he was discounting Parkland, Kita was quick to point out that he was talking about the Emmaus side of the bracket. As for Parkland; "They're in the finals," said Kita of his prediction for how things will play out.