Olivia Heryla surrendered a goal in Easton’s first game of the season, a 1-0 loss to nationally-ranked Emmaus. She isn’t calling it a fluke goal, but it is one she believes she will stop more often than not.
Since that opening-game loss, the Red Rovers have not only had no more losses, but they have also surrendered no more goals, thanks largely to Heryla. Since opening day, Easton is 11-0, having outscored opponents 79-0. Overall, they are 11-1 on the season.
The opponent Saturday was Hazleton, the District 2 Class 3A points leader, which frequently competes against District 11 opponents, including Easton for more than a decade.
Easton won 5-0 on the turf field on the school’s 25th Street campus, sending Hazleton on its 90-minute ride home scoreless – as all but one Easton opponent has done so far this season.
A senior whose mother was a Red Rover almost 30 years ago, Heryla has committed to playing at Bentley.
She clearly remembers the loss and the goal surrendered to Emmaus and would prefer that it not happen again. Playing Emmaus again is likely, both in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 Class 3A tournaments.
“It was a really back-and-forth game (vs. Emmaus),” Heryla said. “Emmaus is a really tough opponent, but we were able to keep up with them. Not to discredit them, but the goal they had – it was a bobbly goal. It could have happened to either team. We just got unlucky. We had a lot of opportunities. It was very early (in the season), but we figured out what to do and have grown.”
That growth showed itself Saturday morning, especially at the end of the first quarter. Easton had more opportunities than Hazleton, but the Cougars (7-2) were pressing. Hazleton had three penalty corner opportunities, two after the buzzer sounded in a 0-0 game.
Heryla turned away the Cougars, as she usually does. Easton got three goals in the last five minutes of the half, from Arianna Deliso, Lexi Cuvo, and Olivia Milia. Deliso and Aubre Krazer added goals in the second half.
Easton led in shots 24-18 and in corners 13-4. Hazleton keeper Gretch Darr had 19 saves. Heryla had 18.
Playing an opponent from another district changed the mindset slightly. Yes, both sides wanted to win, but the only thing on the line was a win or a loss, not a place in any standings.
“It takes off a little level of pressure,” Heryla said. “It allows us to take some more risks and have more fun because we know it’s not going to affect our standings as much. We’re ready to play and face whatever comes at us.”
Hazleton midfielder Gabriella Bredbenner, a Swarthmore commit for track and field, agreed. She didn’t like to lose but saw the game as an opportunity to sharpen her team for the postseason. And who knows? Maybe the Cougars and Rovers could meet again in November.
“We were coming in expecting to play hard, play with a lot of speed, and get the ball out fast,” she said. “We wanted to see what energy they’re playing with while playing with our own.”
Bredbenner said that the mood of her team changed to some degree after surrendering the first goal.
“After the first one, we started to panic a little bit,” she said. “We struggled to get the ball out of our 16-yard line. But after that, we started to get more comfortable. We had to relax more, calm down, and just get the ball out. I do think it’s a little bit of panic once that first goal is scored. We have to stay calm.
“It was a little disappointing because it wasn’t the score we wanted. This is going to teach us that we have to come out faster, stronger, and stay with a team of this caliber. This was a really good learning experience. We have to pass faster. We know we have other weaknesses to fix.”
Hazleton coach Mary Ann Kelly said that she enjoys her games vs. District 11 opponents.
“Our athletic director does a great job,” Kelly said. “He knows that we want to go outside of our district. We want to play tough teams because that’s going to prepare us for our own districts. We encourage that and we love it.”
Easton coach Casey Eck doesn’t know when Heryla’s streak will end, but she is happy for one of the best – maybe the best – goalkeeper streaks in school history.
“She has not gotten much action and we’re grateful for that,” Eck said. “She makes some amazing saves, and the team 100 percent trusts her back there. She comes through for us every time. We’re lucky to have her.”
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Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.
Photos: Amy Polachak
