The sting of a disappointing loss in the Colonial League final hovered around the Northwestern boys soccer team like the remnants of Tropical Storm Zeta.

Unlike the winds and rain swirling around New Tripoli, the Tigers made sure the letdown didn’t linger.

On the strength of Jeff Garcia’s hat trick, Northwestern stormed into the District 11 Class 3A semifinals with a 5-1 victory over Bangor on Thursday. The triumph sets the stage for a showdown with top seed Southern Lehigh, which claimed the league title against the Tigers on penalty kicks.

“On the heels of a disappointing loss in leagues, it’s always tough to get things fired back up and kicked off in district play,” said Northwestern head coach Nate Hunsicker. “Things could go one of two ways; you can kind of keep your head buried in the sand and feel bad for yourself, or you can come out swinging.

“We were very determined to come out and make a strong run in district play, so tonight was step one of a three-step process. We’ve got Round 3 with Southern Lehigh next Tuesday, and we’re chomping at the bit for some revenge hopefully.”

Garcia made sure there was no hangover from Saturday’s loss to the Spartans, scoring his first goal from close range less than four minutes into the first half.

Senior Seth Brady, who entered the contest tied with Colin Coffield for the team lead in goals with 13, fired a shot into the back of the net to give the No. 4 seed Tigers a 2-0 halftime lead.

“We needed this, for sure,” said Garcia. “We were excited for tonight. We knew we could do it. So we came out really hyper and got the job done.”

Garcia, who had seven goals coming into the match, converted a penalty kick with 26:57 to play in the second half, and added his third goal with a little over 20 minutes to play to make it 4-0.

“It felt good. It’s been a while,” said Garcia. “I’ve been struggling, I can’t lie. I missed half the season, so it felt good to finally get some on the sheet. “I missed it. I was out for seven, eight games, and just getting a chance to play with everyone that’s like family, it’s the best feeling.”

The senior, who missed time with a hamstring injury suffered just days before the first game, has energized a motivated Northwestern (14-4) team that wants to make another deep postseason run.

“Jeff’s awesome for us,” said Hunsicker. “He just makes so many things happen for us in the midfield; set pieces, corners, finishing off penalties the way he does. He’s just an all-around solid player, and he just makes our team better in all facets of the game.

“We’re just such a different team with him in the lineup. And it shows. Not only just him being there, but he makes everyone around him better, and you can’t ask for more than that.”

The fifth-seeded Slaters got one back when senior Matt Frangos launched a shot into the net from around 20 yards out shortly after Garcia netted his hat trick.

But the score seemed to only stoke the Tigers, who answered when junior Mason Brensinger made it 5-1 with 11:29 remaining.

Garcia’s absence from the lineup opened the door for others to gain valuable playing time, something that Hunsicker hopes will pay dividends as the Tigers chase their second straight district title.

“Looking back, maybe it made us better,” said Hunsicker. “Other kids had to step up in the interim and play different roles and bigger minutes.”

A WASH … Temperatures stayed around the mid 40s for most of the contest, with blowing rains giving way to stiff wind gusts by the end of the night. Northwestern’s newly-installed turf field maintained a fast track, with the pace of play never really getting bogged down. “When the conditions are what they are, it easily could go one of two ways, and we thought it was probably a little bit of an advantage for them,” said Hunsicker. “It took a little bit out of our technical abilities, and kind of was the great equalizer, so to speak. But we still thought we played well enough to get the win.”

WE MEET AGAIN … Including the Colonial League final, Northwestern is 0-2 against Southern Lehigh this season. The Spartans, who had a bye in the district quarterfinal round, also posted a 2-1 victory against the Tigers on Sept. 22. The district semifinal game will take place Nov. 3 at a site and time to be determined.