Emotions always run high on Senior Nights. The Northampton girls soccer team was able to channel those emotions last Thursday in Al Erdosy Stadium to post a resounding 5-1 win over Freedom and secure an EPC berth.

The team had bounced back from a rough stretch against the EPC’s elite teams with a pair of 9-0 wins against PM West and Dieruff, but were looking to prove to themselves that they could beat a playoff-caliber squad.

Head coach Michael Missmer explained, “The scary part for us was that they (Freedom) lost only 1-0 to Easton and we lost 4-0. We knew this was make or break. We knew that if we won this game, we clinched EPCs, and we have 4 fantastic seniors. So it was a big night for us.”

The first 30 minutes of the game was largely played in the midfield. Each team only had one good scoring chance, Freedom on a free kick from just outside the penalty area and Northampton on a corner kick that almost bounced off a Patriot’s defender for an own goal.

The K-Kids finally broke through at 4:43 left in the first half when a Northampton flurry in front of the Freedom goal led to multiple rebounds. The ball wound up in Anne Beenders’ vicinity and she promptly knocked it into the waiting net.

Lilly Konya scored 8 and half minutes into the second half to put the K-Kids up 2-0, but the two-goal cushion was short-lived. Freedom took the ensuing possession and scored just 14 seconds later.

From that point on, Northampton dominated the action. Konya scored again at the 18:07 mark of the second half. Olivia Abrachinsky scored twice, once at 11:58 and the final goal of the match with just 28 seconds remaining.

Assists for the K-Kids were credited to Arianna Heywood, Chloe Watson, Lindsay Reimer, and Jillian Fertal. Emma Fry had 6 saves in goal.

As of this writing, Northampton is 12-5 overall, 10-5 in the EPC. Their regular season finale on Wednesday against Whitehall occurred too late for Press deadlines. If the Kids beat the Zephyrs, they will be the sixth seed for EPCs. A loss would drop them to seventh.

Either way, they will be on the road against a tough foe when the conference tournament begins on Saturday.

For districts, Northampton is pretty much locked into the 5 seed in the class 4A bracket. When the tournament starts on Oct. 25, their first-round opponent will be either, Nazareth, Easton, or Emmaus.

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By Scott Pagel

spagel@tnonline.com

The boys soccer team dropped a game to Freedom, 2-1 in OT. Both teams sit atop the EPC standings and are prepping for the upcoming EPC playoffs, which begin this weekend.

The Pates scored first on a goal from Corey James and assisted by Dominik Roszkowski, but the Kids Sebastian Mello would tie things at 1-1 with a score in the second half.

But Freedom’s Brady Sutton notched the game-winner in overtime.

The Kids beat Bangor 7-0, five of those goals coming in the second half.

Delali Tsome scored first from Jackson Vajda and then Vajda scored from Luca Manino in the opening half.

Mello opened the second half scoring and then Vajda added his second from Brady Dolak.

Mello scored his second from Vajda and then Vajda added the final two goals from Brody Eisenhart and Mello.

Ethan Schrampf got the win making one save.

The boys had similar results against Eastburg South - winning 7-0 and scoring five in the second half.

Dolak scored both goals in the first half with Tsome and Mello adding the assists.

Dolak secured the hat trick with an assist from Manino to make it 3-0.

Mello would then assist Vajda on a goal before Mello scored the next two on passes from Vajda and Eisenhart. The final goal came from Antonio Del Priore.

Schrampf again made one save in the win.

The EPC playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, but plenty of shifting could take place with games remaining Wednesday. Both the NHS boys and girls will take on Whitehall after Press deadlines.

Boys EPC Standings

Top 8 make playoffs

1. Parkland 16-0-0

2. Emmaus 15-0-1

3. N’hampton 13-2-0

4. Freedom 13-2-1

5. Liberty 12-3-1

6. Pleas.. Vy. 10-6-0

7. Whitehall 10-6-0

8. Nazareth 9-6-1

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9. CCHS 9-7-0

10. Allen 8-8-1

11. Easton 7-7-2

Girls EPC Standings

Top-8 make playoffs

1. Parkland 14-0-1

2. Central 14-0-1

3. Easton 13-2-0

4. Emmaus 12-2-1

5. Nazareth 11-3-1

6. Whitehall 10-5-0

7. N’hampton 10-5-0

8. Becahi 9-6-0

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9. Freedom 7-8-0