After a disappointing quick exit in the Lehigh Valley Conference playoffs, Emmaus was hoping for a better turnout in districts. Unfortunately, the Lady Hornets found themselves disappointed again when they lost to Whitehall 5-0 in the first round of District 11 girls soccer playoffs.

During the regular season, the Lady Hornets were also disappointed by Whitehall, which grabbed a 3-1 win over Emmaus back in mid-September when the Zephyrs were still struggling to win games. That loss might have served as motivation for Emmaus in districts, but it was Whitehall that seemed to be a more motivated team.

"This was not our night," said Emmaus head coach Rob Rooney. "We were not at our best and a very motivated team put us to the sword."

The loss ended Emmaus' season and the high school careers of Kay Gustafson, Alyssa Guthrie, Michele Calogero, Sidney Wilson, Bree Scalzo and Mandy McCarthy, who will all be graduating in June.

"I can't imagine any of them are happy to go out like this and those are good kids, kids that I really like a lot," said Rooney. "Kids that people on the outside of our program will never be able to understand some of the contributions that they've made. They impacted a lot of the things that we do here, even off the field. They're good kids. I love every one of them and I'm going to be very sorry to see them go. I can't imagine that it feels good to go out like this."

On the season, Emmaus outscored its opponents 68-35, with McCarthy leading the team in both goals (15) and assists (10). Peyton Ritter, a sophomore, finished second on the team with 10 goals.

Emmaus finished (10-9-1) overall this season. Whitehall may be peaking at the right time, as the Zephs went on to knock off top-seeded Stroudsburg on their home field in a quarter-final game, sending them to the semis and a meeting with division rival Parkland.

Rooney believes that his team could have accomplished more this season. At times, the team was unable to finish on scoring opportunities and had some lapses that caught up with them.

"Against all odds, against all of the overwhelming evidence, I still think we're better than that," said Rooney. "I'm not saying that I think we're better than Whitehall. Clearly, we're not. They've beaten us twice.

"Getting to the district playoffs is like the bare minimum. That's not even success here and I don't believe it's anything to be proud of or excited about."