Seven consecutive District 11 championships have established a standard at Northwestern Lehigh.

On Tuesday night, the Tigers moved one victory closer to extending that remarkable streak.

Cole Mertz scored twice and assisted on another goal as Northwestern overcame an aggressive approach from Notre Dame-Green Pond to earn a 3-1 victory in the District 11 Class 2A boys soccer semifinals at Lehighton.

The victory sends the Tigers into Thursday’s championship game against No. 6 Northern Lehigh at 7 p.m. at BASD Stadium, where they will pursue their eighth consecutive district title and fifth straight in Class 2A.

Northwestern captured three consecutive Class 3A championships from 2019-21 before adding four straight Class 2A crowns from 2022-25.

For Mertz and his teammates, the opportunity to continue that tradition carries plenty of significance.

“It feels great,” Mertz said. “We’ve been there every year. We just want to win it again.”

Getting another opportunity wasn’t without its challenges.

Northwestern had already faced Notre Dame twice this season, but the Crusaders presented a different look in the third meeting, taking a more aggressive approach offensively.

“They definitely played a little bit more offensive-minded than what we were anticipating, so we had to make some adjustments on the fly,” Northwestern coach Nate Hunsicker said. “I thought, for the most part, we did a nice job with that.”

Mertz acknowledged that Notre Dame made things difficult early.

“It started off a little rough,” he said. “We couldn’t find a lot of opportunities. They might have been on top of their game, and then the rest of the game, we really dominated.”

Despite the early challenges, Northwestern struck twice in a span of just over three minutes midway through the opening half.

Zachary Masenheimer opened the scoring with 16:14 remaining, converting a chance created by a Mertz corner kick to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage.

Mertz doubled the lead with 13:05 left, taking a pass from Jack Bissell, working past a defender and placing his shot into the left corner of the net.

“Jack played me a great ball,” Mertz said. “I got through on goal, made a good move around the defender and then slotted it in the left corner.”

Notre Dame answered before halftime.

Reid Harak headed home a corner kick with 2:50 remaining in the opening half, trimming Northwestern’s advantage to 2-1 and keeping the Crusaders within striking distance.

The goal also reinforced the importance of the adjustments Northwestern had been forced to make against an opponent that was willing to push forward.

“They came out a little bit more attacking-minded than what we were anticipating, so we made some defensive adjustments,” Hunsicker said. “I thought the boys responded really well to that, and we still had a good balance of defense and attack.”

That balance helped the Tigers maintain their advantage into the second half before Mertz provided some breathing room.

Northwestern earned a penalty kick, and Mertz converted with 18:36 remaining, placing his shot into the upper-left corner to extend the lead to 3-1.

“We did a good job getting in their end, forced a penalty and then just put it in the top left,” Mertz said.

Hunsicker pointed to the penalty kick as an important moment in the match, giving Northwestern a two-goal cushion after Notre Dame had remained within striking distance.

Mertz, meanwhile, credited the Tigers for responding to the Crusaders’ pressure and maintaining their composure.

“They got that one corner goal, but I think we did a great job of responding and got a good team win,” he said.

With the victory secured, Northwestern can turn its attention to another district championship opportunity.

Although reaching the final has become a familiar accomplishment for the program, Hunsicker emphasized that each team must establish its own identity and earn its own success.

“Each year’s a new journey, a new adventure,” he said. “I know we’ve reached it quite a few years in a row now, but every year has its own identity, and for these guys, it’s very special.”

For Mertz, another district championship would represent an important step toward the Tigers’ larger postseason ambitions.

“Our only goal this year was to win leagues, districts and then hopefully make a run in states,” he said. “We want to keep it going, win that district game and then keep going on through states.”

Northwestern Lehigh 3, NDGP 1

Northwestern Lehigh 2 1 - 3

Notre Dame-GP 1 0 - 1

Goals: Northwestern - Cole Mertz 2, Zachary Masenheimer 1; NDGP - Reid Harak. Assists: Northwestern - Cole Mertz 1, Jack Bissell 1.

Records: Northwestern Lehigh (20-1-2); Notre Dame Green Pond (12-6-4).