“It was 3-0 before I think we realized the game had begun. Credit to them, they’ve got a real killer instinct, you have to have that to go to a state tournament and win,” a disappointed Michael Missmer, Northampton girls soccer coach, stated after the team’s 6-1 loss to defending PIAA 3A champion Allentown Central Catholic in the EPC quarterfinals last Saturday.

The Vikettes scored 21 seconds into the game to put the K-Kids on their heels right out of the starting block. Central tallied 2 more times in the next six minutes to dash any realistic hopes the seventh seeded squad had of pulling an upset.

Even at full strength, Northampton would have had a difficult time matching up with the Vikettes and the Kids were short-handed. Missmer explained, “We’ve literally got six starters that are injured, so we’re giving minutes to two girls that played most of the game, who were JV players who had never played a minute of varsity. There’s a big difference between JV speed and varsity tournament speed against a reigning state champion.”

Freshman Brielle Szoke provided the lone bright spot on the chilly morning by winning a battle for the ball in the box and knocking home the Kids’ goal at 24:21 in the first half. Chloe Watson assisted on the goal.

Some of Northampton’s injured players are expected to return in time for the start of the district playoffs. The District XI quarterfinals are scheduled for Wednesday. While the final details will not be released until after the EPC championship game between Emmaus and Parkland on Saturday, the K-Kids are the fifth seed which will have them traveling to Nazareth.

The Blue Eagles won the regular season meeting between the two former Skyline Division rivals 2-1 on Sep. 12 in Nazareth.