Northwestern Lehigh had to fight for everything it was able to accomplish this season, including going to overtime to defeat Palmerton for the District 11 championship.

In the first round of states, the battle was no easier as it had to play Bishop McDevitt (19-2-1) Tuesday night at Tigers Stadium.

In the end, the Tigers (15-6-1) saw their season end, falling to the Crusaders 3-0.

“We knew that they had speed, and they have really good stick skills, so we were a little outmatched in the individual skill department,” said Northwestern head coach Lissa Opolsky. “We put together a really solid game and had our chances, we just couldn’t get one to go.”

Unfortunately for Northwestern, McDevitt was able to get a first-quarter goal just 1:29 into the game when the Crusaders were able to get a three-on-two breakaway.

The play was finished off by Katie Lawler to give Bishop McDevitt the early lead and a boost in momentum.

While the first goal came quickly, it would not be until the final seconds of the quarter when they would get their next goal. McDevitt was awarded a corner, and the play came over to the right side of the goal.

Mia Mattiko lofted a shot that went over goalie Emma Yanders’ head, just out of her reach. The ball plopped down into the goal to give the Crusaders a 2-0 edge as the quarter ended.

“I don’t think the early goal affected us too much,” said Opolsky. “We wanted to come out strong, and they were the ones who got a slightly stronger start, but I don’t think their early score was too much of a factor.”

The defenses put on a show for all of the second quarter and most of the third quarter.

While Northwestern gave up four corners in the third quarter and nine in the game, none of them led to goals until Maddi Donmoyer was able to put a shot into the net from close range to spread the Bishop McDevitt lead to 3-0 with under a minute remaining in the third.

The fourth quarter was again left to the defenses, although Northwestern continued to battle until the very end, even just missing on a crossing pass with under two minutes left to play.

WAIT UNTIL NEXT SEASON … While the loss was disappointing, the future is bright for the Tigers. Opolsky said the team has 10 returning starters, and a number of young players who saw action during the 2023 season and gained a lot of varsity experience. Goalie Yanders was the only senior starter on this year’s team.

A TOUGH LOSS … Northwestern was without junior Cara Thomas, who sprained an ankle late last week and was unable to play for the Tigers.

GOBER TO THE MAX … Max Field Hockey is one of the premier field hockey web sites and publishes a list of the top field hockey players. Sophomore Hannah Gober was named to their list of best prospects from the class of 2026. The list is comprised of information on players from both their club and high school performances. “I was very lucky to be named to the list, and I am grateful for the honor,” said Gober, who credits playing other sports for helping her field hockey performance. “I feel like my multi-sport background has really helped me in my game. I have developed my foot skills from soccer and my hand-eye coordination from basketball,” said Gober.