They did it once, and they were looking to do it one more time. The Parkland High School boys soccer team defeated previously unbeaten rival Emmaus 2-0 back on October 19th. The Trojans played with energy and outworked the Green Hornets that night.

Another victory three nights later would have earned Parkland the Skyline Division crown and a top-two seed in this week’s District 11 Class 4A Tournament. But Emmaus, the defending district champions, did not let the same thing happen to them twice in the same week.

A converted penalty shot five minutes into the second half by Hudson Peck was all the scoring the two teams would muster, as the Green Hornets (10-1 overall, 9-1 EPC) claimed a 1-0 victory at Memorial Field in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference regular season finale.

Parkland (8-2, 8-2) had its eight-game win streak ended.

“It was an ugly game,” said Parkland head coach Patrick Birns. “We had four shots on goal, but none of them were very dangerous. Emmaus had one shot on goal and it was the penalty kick that won them the game. It’s tough when you can’t capitalize on your opportunities.”

After blanking Emmaus for the first time all season and snapping their nine-game win streak last week, it looked as if the Trojans were once again going to hold the Hornets scoreless. Following a first half that saw neither team find the back of the net, Emmaus had a player taken down inside the 18-yard box, drawing a penalty. Peck stepped up and slotted his penalty shot home for what proved to be the game-winner.

“They pressured the ball very successfully, and we did not move off the ball to help relieve the pressure,” Birns said. “We needed to do a better job of moving the ball down the field on the attack. That is our game.”

Emmaus outshot Parkland 9-8 overall, but were outshot 4-3 on goal. Senior goalie Victor Baran ended the game with two saves.

“We just need to keep the energy high and continue to have fun,” said Birns. “I think the boys will bounce back from this and be hungrier than they have all year. I’m looking forward to seeing them play in districts.”

Parkland finished the regular season and earned the sixth seed in districts. It will take on the third seed, Stroudsburg, on the road on Saturday morning in the quarterfinal round.