All Nazareth goalkeeper Brianne Henry heard was a clink, and instincts took over.
Emmaus' best chance to tie came with six minutes to play after a blocked ball ricocheted backward and off the right post. Seconds later, Henry lunged right with her right fist extended to preserve the one-goal lead.
''I heard it clink, and I just knew I had to get back there,'' the senior Henry said. ''That was just an adrenaline rush, and it just got me back to get that next save.
''I was hoping for a clear. Hey, what comes, comes.''
Junior midfielder Cassandra Denger's penalty kick in the 65th minute was the difference in a 2-1 win against Emmaus in a District 11 3A girls soccer semifinal Tuesday night at Whitehall Sports Complex.
Nazareth faces Parkland, 3-0 winners against Pleasant Valley, at 7 Thursday night at Whitehall in the District 11 final.
''We really wanted to come out really hard the first 10 minutes so the other team would know we wanted to crush them, and they wouldn't have any heart going into the second half,'' said Parkland junior forward Morgan O'Brien, who scored both second-half goals.
The Trojans controlled the ball the whole match, chiseling away at the Lady Bears' defense late in the first half and breaking through in the 36th minute when freshman midfielder Camille Roberts' shot from just inside the box deflected straight down off the bottom of the crossbar.
Six minutes into the second half, Parkland got its second goal off a rebound from O'Brien, then eased on its attack, sitting back on defense and forcing Pleasant Valley to chase.
''It's huge,'' Parkland coach Al Haddad said of the early second-half goal. ''It takes the team's heart away because they just got done getting whatever speech they got from their coach about the adjustments they wanted to make, and to come out and come right down the field like that in 18 seconds and score it just completely takes the wind out of their sails.''
Pleasant Valley was dealt an early blow when junior midfielder Maggie Patterson reaggravated an injured right ankle two minutes into the match.
Lady Bears' coach Tim Hinton called Patterson his on- and off-the-field leader, and with his steady ballhandler taped up on the sidelines, the Trojans' speed wore down Pleasant Valley.
''We wanted the ball to do the work,'' Haddad said. ''We knew we had a speed advantage across the board. Get the ball doing the work. Get them chasing. Get them tired in the heat.''
Next, Parkland gets Nazareth, who it beat twice this season, 2-1 and 3-1, respectively.
''We really matured as a team,'' Henry said. ''We had a rocky start in the beginning, especially in the normal season. We're bringing it back. We have it now, and we're really playing like a team ready for Parkland, take 'em down.''
But any adjustments needed to made from the first two matches against the Trojans can wait, Nazareth coach Conor Fry said.
''I'm really enjoying this one to be quite honest with you.''
Parkland -- 1 - 2 -- 3
Pleasant Valley -- 0 - 0 -- 0
(P) Goals: Camille Roberts 36', Morgan O'Brien 51', 82' Shots: 12 Corners: 3 Saves: Julia Hulbert 1. (PV) Shots: 1 Saves: Jackie Guiliano 8. Record: (P) 19-2-1 (PV) 15-5-1
Nazareth -- 1 - 1 -- 2
Emmaus -- 1 - 0 -- 1
(N) Goals: Megan Strauser 11' Cassandra Denger 65' Shots 10 Corners: 2 Saves: Brianne Henry 7. (E) Goals: Jessica Vaeth 30' Shots: 12 Corners: 3 Saves: Alexa Nisiotis 4. Record: (N) 14-6 (E) 17-5-1.
Nate Mink is a freelance writer.
From the Morning Call
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