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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER

Boys soccer off to finals

Northampton’s boys’ soccer storybook season continues.

The fourth-seeded Konkrete Kids worked their way through an intense battle with top-seeded Emmaus to pull out a 1-0 victory in a District 11 Class 4A semifinal at Catasauqua High School Tuesday night.

With 8:33 left in the first half, Northampton senior Brody Eisenhart booted a long ball and scored for the game’s lone goal. Eisenhart thanked fellow senior Aaron Gutkowski for his lead pass. It was Eisenhart’s 22nd goal of the season.

“I trust Aaron so much,” said Eisenhart. “When he got the ball, I started to run and it couldn’t have been a better ball. Of course, I had to put it away.”

Head coach Chris Bastidas, who is in his third season at the helm, was pleased with his team’s persistence.

“We stuck to our game plan and worked very hard,” said Bastidas. “The guys played so well, and they deserved it.”

With the win, the Kids (17-4) will meet Parkland in the district final Thursday evening at Salisbury High School. The Kids will be seeking their first-ever district title. Parkland beat Northampton, 3-1, during the regular season.

In the East Penn Conference playoffs, Northampton was stunned by Pleasant Valley, 1-0 in the quarterfinal round. They returned the favor in the quarterfinal round of the district tournament with a convincing 3-0 win over the Bears.

Eisenhart had a pair of goals and Sebastian Mello added a solo goal against Pleasant Valley.

Emmaus beat Parkland, 3-1, in the East Penn Conference final. The Green Hornets earlier beat Allen and Freedom by both 1-0 scores to advance to the championship game. In the opening round of districts, Emmaus nipped Whitehall, 3-2, in overtime.

Eisenhart truly enjoyed the moment. He acknowledged the support from the Kids’ faithful, and his teammates.

“I have to say thanks to the whole team and fans,” he exclaimed. “They have supported the highs and the lows, and they have been a big part of our journey.

“I couldn’t be happier for this team. We just have to work twice as hard in the final on Thursday. It means so much to already make history with this win, but we have more to prove.”