Last Wednesday the Whitehall boys soccer team put everything together and played perhaps their best game of the season.

The 3-0, shutout victory also happened to come against Emmaus, a rival that’s had their number as of late.

“Emmaus beat us in districts the last two years,” said head coach Chris Bastidas. “In those games, and in all games against them, we have been close and slowly gaining confidence and learning how to win.

“On Wednesday we put everything together and played our best game of the season to beat them 3-0. That game was the first time this season we put in a specific game plan and the players played it perfectly.”

Bastidas said the team created chances, made great hustle plays and won many of the one versus one battles in the contest.

“Fortunately, we finished our chances and we able to beat them,” Bastidas said.

Emmaus came into the game with a 9-0-4 mark overall, and 9-0-3 in the EPC. But the Zephs controlled the game, outshooting the Hornets 15-7.

Elie Khalil scored two goals, but it was Ziyad Atiyeh who struck first on a pass from Cole Guerney to make it 1-0. The Zephs would take that lead into halftime before Khalil scored on a penalty kick to make it 2-0 in the second half. He would add his second goal off a Valentin Lezcano helper to complete the scoring.

Cole Guerney made four saves in net for the shutout win.

“Emmaus is very good, that was a great result for us,” Bastidas said. “Now our expectations rise even higher because we know what we are capable of doing. Our first goal is to win a playoff game for the third consecutive year, and our ultimate to win a title and qualify the PIAA state tournament.”

Bastidas said Atiyeh pushed the pace all night, making dynamic through runs, winning the ball and holding the ball up. The coach added Khalil controlled the midfield, won many air balls and gave dynamic through balls as well. After his PK goal, Khalil iced the game by scoring on a great turn around shot with five minutes left.

Bastidas added that Tyler Anderson deserves praise for anchoring the back line against Emmaus and this entire season.

“His decision making out of the back, position, toughness, and fantastic 1 v 1 defending has allowed us to allow the least amount of goals against ever in a season.”

As of last week, the Zephs have allowed just 12 goals for the year.

Girls Soccer

The girls team continues to look for wins this season and sit at 4-11 this year with a couple of games left on their schedule.

One of their remaining games is against rival Northampton, which sits at 8-8 on the year. The Zephs can potentially play spoiler if they can come up with a win at home on Wednesday night, which is after Press deadlines.

The girls conclude their season hosting Liberty Friday, which is currently 6-9 with three games remaining and could also be in a must-win situation.

The team recently lost to Parkland 5-1, Central 4-1 and Emmaus 2-0.

Field hockey

The Zephyrs final game of the regular season will take place Thursday at Al Erdosy Stadium against Northampton for their Senior Night.

The Zephyrs are 9-8 on the season and need a win to qualify for the EPC tournament. The team clinched a playoff berth for districts last week.

“We are looking forward to playoffs and hopefully putting everything together,” said head coach Jenn Bodnar. “We have been a little inconsistent in our game play the last half of the season. We need to cut down on our mistakes and do a better job of finishing in our offensive circle.”

For the K-Kids, the game has major implications for EPC and district seeding, both of which they have clinched berths.

A loss for the Kids would put them in the 8 spot and the dreaded matchup with Emmaus in the EPC quarterfinal. A win likely gets them the 7 seed and a trip to either Nazareth or Easton this Saturday. A win and a berth for Whitehall likely gives them the 8th spot.

For the Zephs, Alina Culvar has been playing really well and consistently, according to Bodnar. She is adding a spark on both ends of the field, Bodnar said.

Catherine Hudak has been scoring some key goals for the team and they will need her to keep contributing as WHS moves into the postseason.

Bodnar also pointed to freshman Olivia Fonzone, who she says has been doing a great job all season on the defensive end. Emma Bonshak, and Ally Cook continue to be leaders on and off the field.

Volleyball

The Whitehall girls dropped a game to Parkland on Tuesday night.

The scores were: 25-14, 25-8, 25-15.

Brynn Dreisbach had 10 kills, 9 digs and 5 blocks for the Trojans. Elena Pursell added 8 kills and 5 blocks.

The Zephs are now 5-10 on the season overall with an EPC mark of 5-9.

The girls have one final match this season when they host Northampton on Sept. 14.