CATASAUQUA - When Northwestern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh meet in boys soccer, expect a low-scoring, physical game.

And don’t be surprised if it goes into overtime.

Much of that script played out in the Colonial League championship on Saturday, but the Tigers didn’t need overtime as they beat the Spartans 2-0 to claim gold medals.

Northwestern came into the season with a young team and was forced to put more young players into the lineup throughout the season when injuries continued to mount.

Considering their youth and the injuries, their 11-4-1 regular-season record was impressive. While they were missing players during the regular season, the return of seniors Mason Brensinger and Colin Coffield late in the season put the team at full strength. The return to health helped Northwestern to hit full stride at the perfect time as they breezed through the league playoffs and head into districts with a head of steam.

After a scoreless first half, the teams played down to the 26:48 mark of the final half before sophomore Matt Johnson, who had been a thorn in Southern Lehigh defenders’ sides throughout the game, beat three defenders and then fired a shot past goalie Ayden Scharper to give Northwestern a 1-0 edge.

Looking for a little insurance, the Tigers continued to push throughout the rest of the half but were unsuccessful until the 8:42 mark of regulation. That’s when Johnson again launched a shot that caromed off the crossbar and right to freshman Jake Van Lierop, who didn’t miss when he played the rebound into the back of the net without breaking stride.

“I was just at the right place at the right time,” said Van Lierop of his goal. “I just go in looking to get anything that I can to put into the back of the net.”

Van Lierop pointed back to a 1-0 loss to Palisades during the regular season as an important point in the season for the team. In that game, Jacob Davis scored the game’s only goal in the final minute of play. The loss was the second in a row for the Tigers as their offense struggled through a stretch where they scored three goals in four games.

“That was kind of a turning point,” pointed out Van Lierop. “We turned it around and came back with a new, fresh breath and then we started playing better since then. We got a little revenge against them in the playoffs and we’re looking ahead now to districts and we have confidence going in. We got one, so now we can go get another.”

The Northwestern defense thwarted Southern Lehigh (15-5-1) throughout the game, and during the season the team often relied on the play of their back line and goalie Mason Crocco to win games. Jared Wallander was a standout defensively in the title game and credited the return of fellow senior Brensinger for giving the team a boost.

“We’ve just kind of found our zone,” said Wallander. “With Mason back, it’s like we’re unstoppable. Keeping Moravian and now Southern to nothing is amazing. Right now, we feel like we can go all the way and we’re ready to play in districts.”

TOP OF THE HEAP

... The win gives Northwestern (14-4-1) the top seed in the District 11 3A playoffs. Southern Lehigh will come in as the third seed and it is likely the two teams will face each other again in districts as often happens. The bye for the Tigers puts them automatically into the semifinals where they will play the winner of the game between Saucon Valley and East Stroudsburg South.

BACK ON TOP ... The Tigers won four straight league titles from 2015-2018. Moravian Academy dethroned Northwestern in 2019 and Southern Lehigh earned the title last season.