Coming into the East Penn Conference playoffs with just 44 goals in 17 games was an obvious concern for the Emmaus boys soccer team. It was an even bigger concern that 25 of those goals came in a six-game stretch in the middle of the schedule.

One comforting thought was that Whitehall, the Hornets’ opponent in the quarterfinals, also had trouble scoring late in the season. Both factors remained true as Whitehall pulled off an upset 1-0 win, knocking the Hornets out of the EPC playoffs.

Emmaus (15-3-1) came into the tournament as the three-seed, while the Zephyrs (12-6-0) 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 against Hornet goalie Max McGrath.

With 28:38 left in the first half, Whitehall junior Valentin Lezcano put an improbable shot on goal from just inside the 25-yard box. The shot was well placed and squeezed 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.

“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.”

On the day, Whitehall was able to get just one other shot on goal against Emmaus, making Lezcano’s shot even more heroic for the Zephyrs.

While the Hornets were able to mount some pressure of their own, they were unable to get anything past goalie Cole Guerney. Their best opportunity came as time was winding down when Emmaus was awarded a corner and put a high velocity shot on goal, but Guerney was able to leap and deflect the shot away from the goal to preserve the win.

As for the offensive struggles that Emmaus has faced, Cari and his staff have worked to find an answer but have been unable to pinpoint a solution. Now, they have more time to work on the issue before playing in the District 11 tournament that begins next week.

“We don’t put shots on the frame and if you don’t put shots on the frame, you don’t win games,” said Cari. “I thought we were the better team, but it doesn’t show on the board, so now as a result, we are off for two weeks because of it. We have to do a better job offensively.”

Emmaus finished the game with four shots on goal.

The loss erased what would have been a great storyline for Cari and his team. He is currently holding at 299 wins for his career and the loss made number 300 just a little more elusive. His next chance comes in districts. Last season, Emmaus went from being a four-seed to being the District 11 champion. The Hornets hope to repeat that feat, but this year they will likely be the No. 3 seed when the next tournament starts.