Eric Eisele stood on the sidelines, arms folded and brow furrowed in concentration.
Honesdale’s veteran soccer coach was paying close attention to his girls as they ran through their pre-match drills.

The Lady Hornets were preparing for a key match against longtime rival North Pocono. At stake was a possible District Two play-off berth and continued sole possession of second place in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division ‘C’ standings.

“We’ll have a pretty good idea what’s up after the first five minutes,” he told TWI Sports. “This is going to be an emotional night. If the girls come out fired up and focused, we’ll be in good shape. If they don’t...well, it could be a rough game.”

Fortunately for Coach Eisele and the big Maple City crowd, the Lady Hornets did indeed come out fired up and focused. The Red & Black pinned North Pocono deep in its own end right from the opening whistle.

Honesdale attackers peppered the Trojan net with shots, controlled the midfield and played stingy defense. The result was a 4-1 WVC win and a tightening of the Division ‘C’ race.

The Lady Hornets are now 9-2 in league action and trail only Hanover Area in the  standings. The Hawkeyes have beaten Honesdale twice and boast an 11-1 mark. North Pocono fell to 7-5 overall.

Next up for the local girls is a road trip to Tunkhannock. That match was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon, but had to be postponed due to rain. According to HHS athletic director Chuck Alexander, the game will be made up Monday evening.

Benefit Match
Thursday night’s rare battle under the lights attracted a throng of Honesdale soccer fans...and for a good reason. Honesdale players dedicated the match to Brian Hafler, an HHS alum and former wrestler.

“Newt” was recently diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. He’s currently undergoing extensive medical treatment in an all-out effort to beat the disease.

“I’m very proud of the girls for all the hard work they put into this night,” said Coach Eisele. “Brian has meant alot to some of the girls on this team, so when they came to me with this idea, I was all for it. They’re a terrific group of kids.”

Both teams wore special PIAA-approved jerseys for the match. In addition, Honesdale boosters worked the concession stand and held a special bake sale...all in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the plight of cancer victims.

“They’re a great group of girls,” Brian Hafler said simply. “I’m very grateful to them. Right now, things are going pretty well. We’re just taking it one day at a time.”

Meanwhile on the field, the Lady Hornets were busy setting the tone for a match they would dominate from start to finish. Honesdale generated three scoring opportunities in the game’s first five minutes. Kayla Hartley, Natalie Hoff and Lucrezia “Grace” Manzione made life miserable for North Pocono keeper Nancy Dunn.

Hartley consistently worked her way open behind the Trojans’ defense. The Lady Hornet senior was awarded a direct kick at the 37:23 mark and missed just wide of the near post. Moments later, Manzione led a 3-on-1 break that Dunn staved off with an aggressive play.

Then, with 16:46 gone in the opening half, Hoff finally broke the ice. Natalie came up with a loose ball right in front of the net. She squared herself up and unleashed a shot from point blank range. Dunn had no chance this time as Hoff’s shot found the back of the net and gave Honesdale a 1-0 lead.

The home team kept up the pressure all throughout the first half, thanks in large part to solid play in the midfield and at the defensive end.

Maureen “Mo” Ordnung played an outstanding game despite heavy off-field concerns weighing on her mind. Mo’s brother was life-flighted to Geisinger Medical Center last week after nearly falling into a diabetic coma as a result of insulin shock.

Ordnung showed poise, maturity and mental toughness in focusing on the task at hand and helping Honesdale to an early lead.

Ali Clark and Maureen Kay led the charge defensively. Both are seniors and ruled the backfield with an iron fist on Thursday. On the few occasions when North Pocono players actually crossed midfield, Clark and Kay were there to turn them away.

“You know, we have 14 seniors on this team and sometimes it’s a shame we can’t play them all,” said Coach Eisele. “Some of these girls have been with the program five and six years now...and that experience makes a big difference.”

As a result of their aggressive play, the Trojans were backed up deeper and deeper

into their own end, a fact that led directly to another Honesdale goal.
Hartley did the honors this time. The Lady Hornets were awarded a direct kick with 16:46 left in the half and Kayla brought the crowd to its feet with a wild play. Her initial shot drilled the crossbar, bounced straight down and clipped the keeper.

A North Pocono defender had a chance to clear, but couldn’t escape Hartley as she attacked her rebound. Kayla stole the ball and hammered it home for a 2-0 lead.

After the Break
The visitors from Moscow finally got on the board after intermission.

Katrina Kincel tallied an unassisted goal at the 52:59 mark, cutting Honesdale’s lead to 2-1. However, Dayna Canning and Karly Gelatt put the match out of reach with back-to-back goals less than seven minutes apart.

Canning found the back of North Pocono’s net off a pass from Manzione (72:38). Then, with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Gelatt tickled the twine courtesy of an assist from Hartley.

Allaina Propst earned the win between the pipes. The Lady Hornets’ senior keeper carded eight saves and staved off four Trojan corners. Dunn ended her evening with 13 stops.