CATASAUQUA — The Northern Lehigh boys soccer team made program history on Monday evening, playing in its first ever Colonial League playoff game since its inauguration in 2002.

The opposition in its quarterfinal matchup was none other than Notre Dame, a team who the Bulldogs previously snapped a long losing streak against with a tie earlier in the season.

Unfortunately for Nolehi, its fate was not the same this time around, as the Crusaders dominated in ball possession for most of the event and used a scoring outburst early in the second half to earn a 3-0 victory.

“We gave everything we had,” NL head coach Jay Ohlund said. “We let our focus down a little bit in the second-half (on the) back post three times, and that kind of was the story of the game.

“It’s a shame we’re not 100%. We’re missing some guys, but I can’t fault the guys’ effort. We wanted to come out here and prove that we belong.”

The early minutes of the contest were as balanced as a game could be with both teams generating a key scoring chance that failed to convert.

Off the first corner kick of the match, the Bulldogs got a header on goal, but the ball was blocked by the ND defense to bail out goalkeeper Cooper Simon.

The Crusaders’ first chance came shortly after on a free kick that landed directly in front of the goal, but NL goalie Gus Rosario managed to grab the ball off the goal line.

As the first half progressed, chances slowly leaned heavier and heavier in Notre Dame’s favor. The continuous action down in Bulldog territory forced Rosario to stay busy, making five saves in the half and preserving a scoreless tie to halftime.

Shortly after the second half began, the dam finally broke as the Crusaders found the back of the net three times in a span of 7:38.

First, it was Reid Harak centering the ball to Henry Hauff who shot back across Rosario to break the ice.

Next, Raul Martinez got his head on a cross pass from Brady Carwin to double the lead.

Lastly, after Rosario made a diving save, ND kept the ball in play and worked it into the middle where Martinez potted his second tally of the game.

For the remaining 29:38 of the match, the Crusaders suffocated any offense the Bulldogs attempted to generate and secured the victory.

“I think it’s good to see a team a second time,” said ND’s assistant head coach Mike Reed. “We kind of took from what (NL) had to offer as a team, what their strengths were, and we just kind of took (them) away. We wanted to neutralize their strong players, and our guys were able to do that.”

On the other side, the Bulldogs certainly felt the sting of losing, but Ohlund couldn’t help but express his gratitude for his players’ ability to reach what was previously uncharted territory for the program.

“It’s an incredibly proud moment for us,” he said. “They all should be holding their heads up high. Yes, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, but they’re making history. First Northern Lehigh players to be playing in a Colonial League playoff game, that’s something to be proud of. Just a shame it didn’t turn out the way we were hoping for.”

While the program may have been humbled after appearing in an unfamiliar situation, players and coaches are grateful that their season isn’t over yet. Coach Ohlund’s primary hope is that his players learned some important lessons from this defeat and carry them into district playoffs.

“I think the one thing is we’ve got to learn to maintain focus at all times,” he said. “The difference of the game was three times we just got a little lapse of focus and we were punished for it. That’s what happens when you’re playing the best teams in the playoffs.

“You get punished for your mistakes, even the tiniest little one. So that’s what happened to us, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re ready to go at all times for 80 minutes next week in our district game.”

TIME TO RECOUP ... Northern Lehigh will have over a week of time off before participating in the District 11 Class 2A quarterfinals on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

NEXT ROUND ... Notre Dame-Green Pond advances to the Colonial League semifinals, hosted at Lehighton, where it will go up against Northwestern this Wednesday.

Notre Dame 3, No. Lehigh 0

Northern Lehigh 0 0 - 0

Notre Dame-GP 0 3 - 3

Goals: Northern Lehigh - None; Notre Dame GP - Raul Martinez 2, Henry Hauff 1; Assists: Northern Lehigh - None; Notre Dame GP - Reid Harak 1, Brady Carwin 1; Saves: Northern Lehigh - Gus Rosario 10; Notre Dame GP - Cooper Simon 3; Shots: Northern Lehigh 4; Notre Dame-GP 14; Corners: Northern Lehigh 2; Notre Dame-GP 2.

Records: Northern Lehigh (8-6-5; 7-5-4); Notre Dame-GP (11-4-4; 9-3-3).