If you went to the EPC quarterfinal game between Emmaus and Whitehall looking to see a high scoring affair, it was a miscalculation on your part. Neither team has been scorching the scoreboard this season, while their defenses have been overwhelming opponents. Emmaus had just 44 goals in 17 games and Whitehall had just 50 goals over the same number of games. That is why when Valentin Lezcano fired a shot from just inside the 25-yard box, it was a calculated move to get an early goal. The calculation worked and Whitehall wound up with a 1-0 win over the Hornets, garnering a spot in the EPC semifinals.

Emmaus (15-3-1) came into the tournament as the three-seed, while the Zephyrs (12-7-0) were seeded sixth.

Emmaus was able to put pressure on early but was consistently turned away as Whitehall would blunt the momentum and turn it into pressure of their own against goalie Max McGrath. With 28:38 left in the first half, Lezcano launched his laser on goal and placed it perfectly between McGrath’s outstretched hand and the top left corner of the goal to give the Zephyrs what would be the only goal of the game.

“We had the ball up top and the pass came into me. I had a lot of space and looked up, hit it, and got it in,” said Lezcano of the game-winner. As it turned out, Whitehall was able to get just one other shot on goal against Emmaus, making Lezcano’s shot even more heroic for the Zephyrs.

One of the biggest fans of the shot was Emmaus coach John Cari, who was kept from getting the 300th win of his coaching career by the loss.

“That shot was no fluke,” said Emmaus coach John Cari. “That was a well-played shot, and the kid knew what he was doing and placed it at just the right spot. You have to credit him for that one, it was a heck of a shot.”

Meanwhile, the Zephyrs kept the Hornets from being able to mount some pressure of their own and only picked up four shots on goal in the loss. Their best opportunity came as time was winding down when Emmaus was awarded a corner and put a high velocity shot on goal, but senior goalie Cole Guerney was able to leap and deflect the shot away from the goal to preserve the win.

“We thought we were going to have a really close game, but we came in and executed the way that we needed to and got the win,” said Lezcano. “They are a power team around here and it feels great to beat them. For us, it’s like we have arrived. We came out here and it feels great.”

For first-year coach and Whitehall alum Christian Malone, the win is a milestone in marking just how far the program has come. The team started out 1-3-0 and through seven games had just three wins. From there, they went on to pick up key wins in overtime against East Stroudsburg South and then downed Northampton, another strong EPC opponent.

“When you are a new coach, it is one thing to see the kids in practice and another to see them in games. We have been able to get guys into the right positions and we know what our best options are,” said Malone. “We are definitely grateful for the win today. It was a hard-fought battle against a good program.”

Unfortunately, the scoring struggles continued in the semifinals and the Zephyrs fell to Northampton 3-0. Now, Malone will regroup the troops and look to make more progress with the program in districts, which get underway next week.