CATASAUQUA - Northwestern Lehigh (17-1-1) allowed just three regular season goals and one more in their Colonial League semifinal win over Moravian Academy.

On Saturday, the Tigers used their defense and just enough offense to take Colonial League gold with a 2-0 win over Southern Lehigh.

Early in the game, both teams were a little tentative and neither could find a comfortable early groove. While both defenses made it difficult for their opponent to get a clear look at the net, when they were able to muster a shot on goal, both goaltenders - Northwestern’s Naomi Glassberg and Southern Lehigh’s Ava Foran - both made nice saves to keep the game scoreless.

Northwestern senior Sophia Motolese came up with a simple strategy. Since it was difficult to work the ball close to the net, why not put up a shot from 35 yards out and see what happens?

The shot caught Foran coming out of the net anticipating a shorter play-in ball and wound up going over her head for the first goal of the game.

“We were dropping back a little too far early in the beginning of the game. Once we got that problem solved, things started to open for us,” said Northwestern’s first-year coach Jordan Smith.

By the second half, the Tigers (17-1-1) had started to figure out the Southern Lehigh defense and were able to get better openings around the goal. They outshot the Spartans 7-2 in the second half and one of those shots came from Brynn Balliet, who launched a shot that rebounded off Foran, who was unable to coral the ball. The rebound brought the ball in front of the net, where an alert Kaitlyn Browning was in the perfect position to play the rebound to give Northwestern a 2-0 lead and a little margin for error over the final eight minutes of the game.

“Katie [Browning] had played a great ball to me and I beat my defender,” said Balliet of her initial shot on goal. “I was just happy that Katie was there to finish that play. It was good to have an extra cushion. It feels nice to know that you’re ahead and it makes you feel more relaxed, more comfortable.”

If the Northwestern defense was solid prior to the second goal, they were nearly impenetrable with the 2-0 lead and time starting to wind down. The plan worked as the Spartans (17-3-0) had few opportunities to get deep into the attack zone.

“We had some nerves coming in and there will likely be some nerves going into districts, but we’re always there for each other,” said senior defender Sarah Yeakel. “I think especially some of the younger players were feeling the nerves and feeling under pressure. Our seniors have all been here before and knew what to expect, so we really worked to help the younger players and remind them of what they needed to do on the field.”

DEJA VU

... This was the third straight Colonial League championship featuring the two teams. Each of the two previous games were also won by Northwestern in a 3-0 game last season and a 1-0 victory in 2019. Southern Lehigh won the 2018 championship, also in a shutout, when they beat Palisades 1-0 for their fourth straight Colonial League title.

LOOKING AHEAD

... The Tigers are the top seed in districts and will have a bye through the quarterfinals. In the semis, they will face the winner of the game between Bangor and Blue Mountain. During the regular season, Northwestern beat Blue Mountain 1-0 and then downed Bangor 6-0 later in the year.