CENTER VALLEY - If five-time District 11, Class AA field hockey champions Southern Lehigh needed a good opening round to test its mettle and chances for another crowning, it was surely provided by Northwestern Lehigh.

In this opening round of the tournament, the Lady Spartans have seldom been rankled - they dominate on the defensive side and produce goals, sometimes in bunches.But Thursday afternoon, there was a new tale to the story, thanks mostly to the aggressive, up-and-coming Lady Tigers. For two full halves, the Tigers weren't getting tossed about, but instead were within a late goal of putting a horde of pressure on the defending champions, who ended up with a 2-0 victory."They were putting good pressure on us all game long," said Southern Lehigh's head coach Adrian Searfoss. "We didn't get in to the passing lanes, and we needed to counter attack and a lot of that had to do with them playing a great game."Lissa Opolsky, the second year coach for Northwestern Lehigh, said it was an uphill battle against a quality opposition. "Obviously, they've got some talented players. I think our kids rose to the challenge and put out a great effort; you can't ask for more."An early score for the eventual winners set the tone for the contest. Southern Lehigh's Meghan Reese converted a penalty shot at the 27:20 mark of the first half, and the only other conversion came less than nine minutes later.Using the corner play, Justina Mendez got enough stick on the ball to get it by capable goalkeeper for the Tigers, Page Taylor."I'm proud of them," Opolsky said. "Anytime you battle a program such as Southern, and you are within one-shot of gaining a point, that says a lot of our kids. This was our first big game, if you will. You never want to come out on the losing end of a game like this, but you learn from this."SHOTS AND STUFF. … Both sides were very close in the statistical category. Each team had nine shots on goal, nine corners, and one penalty. SoHi's goalkeeper Jenna Cyr had 11 saves, with Taylor coming up with four for NW.HURT BUT NOT HURTING. … Madison Reese and Meghan Reese are twin sisters, both are sophomores and are D-I recruits for Southern Lehigh. Madison, unfortunately, had three bone spurs removed from her foot this summer and has not played. Her spirits are contagious.CLOSE AT THE END. … The Tigers were very close to scoring in the final three minutes of play. They missed out on a corner try and a close range shot for a goal with 1:40 to play.FINAL RECORD. … The Tigers finished the season with a 8-10-1 record and are capable of being better in 2016. The Spartans move to 19-2, with both losses coming against Moravian Academy.