Northwestern entered the season needing to replace graduating senior Jake van Lierop, who piled up an astounding 74 goals last year.

Just three games in, the Tigers appear to have found their answer.

Cole Mertz and Logan Mesics combined for six goals Wednesday to spark Northwestern to an 8-1 Colonial League victory over Palmerton.

The Blue Bombers, meanwhile, opened their 2025 campaign with a youth movement that features 17 underclassmen and only three seniors.

Facing an opponent as tough as the reigning state champion provided a major learning experience for the young squad.

Northwestern is also navigating a transition after losing 10 seniors, but its championship pedigree and next-man-up mentality were on full display in its league opener.

For the first 13 minutes, Palmerton stood its ground against the champs by limiting scoring chances. But Northwestern’s pressure eventually broke through as Palmerton grew overaggressive and physical, leading to back-to-back penalty kick goals from Mesics and Mertz.

The same duo connected again at 10:37 when Mesics set up Mertz on a throw-in for a 3-0 lead. Minutes later, Mertz pounced on a turnover to complete his hat trick and make it 4-0 at halftime.

“After Jake (van Lierop) left, I knew I needed to step up,” Mertz said. “Learning from him really helped me develop. I think it has made me more confident scoring, and added that aspect to my game.”

Mertz didn’t stop there. He assisted Mesics’ second goal just over two minutes into the second half, then scored his fourth goal of the match six minutes later.

“I feel like today things kind of came all together,” Mesics said. “As a team, we were able to control the ball more, keep it on the ground, string passes together. We scored in open play and on set pieces, so everything just clicked.”

Lyle Good and Logan Shurr each added goals to stretch the lead to 8-0, before Palmerton’s Wyatt Spalding put the Bombers on the board with the final tally.

Palmerton coach Antonio Orlando acknowledged not only the challenges of leading such a young team, but also the value of facing a powerhouse like Northwestern.

“We’ve got a lot of freshmen, so I do the best I can with what I’ve got,” Orlando said. “Hopefully, it’s going to strengthen them physically and mentally. This way we get a better opportunity and keep improving.”

Northwestern opened the season with two non-district opponents, falling 4-3 to Pennsbury, before topping Upper Perkiomen 4-0. Head coach Nate Hunsicker said he is more focused on building toward the postseason than replicating last year’s perfect run.

“At the end of the day, I’d rather be finding our stride come October than at the end of August,” Hunsicker said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys in a lot of new places, so we’re still figuring out how all the pieces fit together.”

THE ROAD AHEAD … Palmerton continues its road trip Thursday at Tamaqua. Northwestern will be off for the holiday weekend before returning Tuesday to host Jim Thorpe.

Palmerton 0 1 - 1

Northwestern 4 4 - 8

Goals: Palmerton - Carter Huber 1; Northwestern - Cole Mertz 4, Logan Mesics 2, Lyle Good 1, Logan Shurr 1; Assists: Palmerton - Wyatt Spalding 1; Northwestern - Logan Mesics 1, Cole Mertz 1, Austin Bittenbender 1, Egan Boyle 1; Saves: Palmerton - Matthew Breiner 7; Northwestern - Dean Carl 2; Corners: Palmerton 3; Northwestern 8.

Records: Palmerton (0-2; 0-1 CL); Northwestern (2-1; 1-0 CL).