EMMAUS — Big players step up in big moments.

For Northwestern Lehigh on Monday, that meant a pair of sophomores found an extra gear as the Tigers won a district playoff game for the first time in program history with a 10-8 victory over Allentown Central Catholic at Memorial Field in Emmaus. The semifinal win puts Northwestern into the finals, where it will face Southern Lehigh.

Olivia Fagan was a thorn in Central Catholic’s side almost from the opening draw. Fagan pressured goalie Trizzah Savagaji and finished with five goals, including the final three for Northwestern. Ashley Yacynych, the Tigers’ sophomore goalie, also had an impressive game, helping to shut down the Central Catholic offense that had come alive in the third quarter.

The Tigers jumped to an early lead as Fagan scored on a free-position shot, then worked through a defender to put a shot over the stick and into the net for a 2-0 lead. Northwestern got the next two goals as well, with Sydney Wright bouncing one off the bottom of the crossbar, and Ella Collins opening the second quarter with a goal off a free-position shot. The teams then traded goals, with Cara Thomas and Olivia Costa each scoring for Northwestern, which held a 6-2 advantage at halftime.

The Vikettes’ defense adjusted at halftime, closing the holes the Tigers had exploited earlier. They also brought in freshman Jackie McEwen to replace senior Addison Gloss, who left the game with an injury late in the second quarter. McEwen and Sara Filipovits both scored twice as Central Catholic netted five goals in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter. McEwen’s second goal tied the game, and Filipovits’ second gave Central a 7-6 lead.

“You just have to have a goldfish memory, and when one goal goes in, you just forget it and come back for the next play,” Yacynych said. “I just started really cheering on my team, and they made some really great plays to come back and win the game. I love my defense. They’re my family, and I really loved the way they played tonight. I just trusted that they would come back for us.”

Feeling her team was reeling, coach Pam Colistra called a timeout — which proved to be just what the players needed.

“In that timeout, we really just asked ourselves, ‘What do we want out of this?’” Colistra said. “We hit the reset button, and it turned out that the timeout was pivotal because you could see a change in the girls. Olivia Fagan took over leadership of the offense, we slowed it down, we had patience, and we possessed the ball and put it into the back of the net when we needed to.”

Coming out of the timeout with 1:42 left in the third quarter, the Tigers switched to Fagan taking the draws, and she won four straight against Central Catholic’s Abbie Aemisegeo as Northwestern strung together four unanswered goals before the end of the quarter. Costa took a perfect lead pass from Thomas for the first, and Fagan scored the next three in a span of just 49 seconds. The first came when Fagan was off balance after taking a hit from a defender — a play that would have resulted in a foul — but she got a shot off and put it past Savagaji to regain an 8-7 lead.

“A lot of it was definitely momentum. When they put the ball on the stick, I just knew I had to go at it hard,” Fagan said. “When we were up, it felt amazing, but when they tied the game, we put our heads down a little. We wanted this more than ever because this was our first time [winning in districts], and it’s just amazing.

“Olivia Costa, my friend, was right next to me and cheering me on. I couldn’t have done it without this team and the coaches supporting me.”

While the third quarter saw a total of nine goals, the final 12 minutes featured just one. With 5:32 left, Central Catholic senior Kate Raymond scored her third goal of the game to make it 10-8.

While Northwestern’s defense struggled early in the second half, it contained Central Catholic’s attack early and then again late, after regaining the lead. Haley Kerschner and Olivia Spatz kept Raymond — the Vikettes’ leading scorer — in check for most of the game with tight coverage. That, combined with Yacynych’s play in goal, allowed the defense to bend but not break.

FACING THE BEST ... Northwestern will have to beat Southern Lehigh, the top seed in the Class 2A classification, to win its first district championship. The Spartans won both regular-season meetings, 18-3 in the first, and 16-6 just 11 days ago. Southern Lehigh defeated Saucon Valley 13-7 in the other semifinal, and has won four straight District 11 Class 2A titles. The championship will be played at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Lehigh University. The Class 3A final between Pleasant Valley and Nazareth will follow.

Northwestern 3 3 4 0 - 10

Central Catholic 0 2 5 1 - 8

GOALS: Northwestern - Fagan 5, Costa 2, Collins 1, Thomas 1, Wright 1; ACC - Raymond 3, Filipovits 2, Mcewen 2, Shoemaker 1.