FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — North Schuylkill’s speed and experience powered a 4-0 victory over Tamaqua on Thursday in a Schuylkill League Division I girls soccer matchup.

The Spartans got on the board when a missed save led to the first of two goals by sophomore midfielder Abby Smith with 25:28 remaining in the first half. The goal took momentum away from Tamaqua, which never fully recovered, according to coach Clem McCarroll.

“We have such a young team and it kind of took its toll on us,” McCarroll explained. “It was nobody’s fault, just one of those things.”

The Spartans are continuing to improve, coach Dave Reeder said.

“Our team has a lot of moving parts, and we’re getting better and better and our communication is getting much better,” Reeder said.

North Schuylkill applied constant pressure and forced Tamaqua into mistakes, many of them mental, McCarroll said.

“We were happy that we were containing them for a while, and wanted a low-scoring game,” McCarroll offered. “But once we went down 1-0, it took a lot of strategy out of the game (plan).”

The Spartans spent most of the match on Tamaqua’s end of the field. Smith scored her second goal on a direct kick from about 20 yards out with 14:20 left in the first half. North Schuylkill’s passing and quickness gradually wore down the Blue Raiders.

“We wanted to make sure that we played our game,” Reeder pointed out. “Some things you can’t teach, speed you can’t teach, but conditioning you can (work) on and that’s something that we teach … all summer long through our two-day workouts.”

Mia McDonald extended North Schuylkill’s lead to 3-0 late in the first half.

Tamaqua struggled offensively throughout the match. The Blue Raiders managed just two shots on goal in the second half, while North Schuylkill recorded seven.

The Spartans added their final goal in the second half.

The next challenge for North Schuylkill is undefeated Blue Mountain (6-0).

“I like our chances the way we’ve been playing,” Reeder commented. “Yeah, they are (our biggest challenge) … we’re coming.”

NUMBERS ... Tamaqua finished with six shots on goal, nine saves and no corners. North Schuylkill had 12 shots on goal, five saves and one corner kick.

HE SAID ... “We have a really young team with 13 freshman and 10 sophomores … we’re learning.” — McCarroll on the future of his team.

North Schuylkill 4, Tamaqua 0

Tamaqua 0 0 - 0

North Schuylkill 3 1 - 4

Goals: North Schuylkill - Abby Smith 2, Mia McDonald 1, Henkel 1; Goalie Saves: Tamaqua - Sophia Sitlinger 19, Arabella Honey 3; North Schuylkill - Addie Balicki 13.

Records: Tamaqua (4-6; 2-4); North Schuylkill (5-4-1; 4-1-1).