KINTNERSVILLE - It was one of the biggest games of Mason Brensinger’s life.

And the Northwestern junior delivered one of the best moments of his career.

Brensinger’s goal in double overtime lifted the Tigers past top seed Southern Lehigh and into the District 11 Class 3A finals with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

“The nerves are there,” Brensinger said. “I just didn’t want to go into PKs (penalty kicks) again, because the last time that happened, it didn’t go our way. So I just wanted to finish it.

“It just feels great. We knew it was going to be a good game coming in, and we tried to give it our all.”

Both perennial powerhouses, the two programs went to penalty kicks to decide the Colonial League champion a little over a week ago. with the Spartans coming out on top 2-1.

Brensinger’s score made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself.

“It was a great buildup,” Tigers’ head coach Nate Hunsicker said of the play, which included a pass from Seth Brady. “Mason got the ball on his foot, and he just saw loads of space coming through the central part of the midfield and I think he was just like, ‘The hell with it, I’m going to go for it.’ And he made a beautiful run.

“He kind of persevered his way through a tackle and just kept the little engine that could through there. The keeper (Ayden Scharper) came out and I thought he was going to gobble it up on him, and then he was kind of just able to get enough on it and squirt it into the corner.”

No matter the margin, it means Northwestern - seeded fourth - will have a chance to defend its district title Thursday against No. 2 Blue Mountain.

“The keeper was there, I had that hesitation, but I just hit it to the corner and it went in,” Brensinger said.

The Tigers were on the wrong end of two previous meetings against Southern Lehigh this season, suffering a 2-1 loss in the regular season prior to their defeat in the league final.

“It’s interesting when you think about it. In the league final, we thought that we thoroughly outplayed them and we should have won,” said Hunsicker. “And then tonight I thought they had the majority of the better play; I thought in the second half we played way better than we did in the first half, and the overtimes were back-and-forth.

“But at the end of the day, they probably deserve the result, but it’s both, in my opinion, the best thing and the worst thing about soccer that the team that showcases themselves the best for the majority of the time doesn’t always get the result. But it is what it is, and I’ll take it tonight.”

Southern Lehigh had a chance with 8:30 to play in regulation when Thijs Immerzeel made a sliding shot in front of Tigers’ goalie Austin Vogwill but pushed it over the crossbar.

Another scoring opportunity knocked when Luca Prando put a shot on goal just two minutes into the second overtime, but Vogwill came up with the save. Prando also had a shot from close range in the first half, but was stopped again by Vogwill.

Jeff Garcia, who delivered a hat trick in Northwestern’s quarterfinal victory over Bangor, had a free kick with 0:32 to play in the second half but put it over the cross bar.

But it was Brensinger who broke the seal and sent the Tigers back to the district final.

“We rag on him all the time at practice about not being able to score and stuff like that, and he didn’t get a single goal all of last year,” Hunsicker said. “This makes four now for him tonight, so for him to get it, it’s awesome.

“He was super excited, and that was the prototypical Mason Brensinger play, though, where he is just kind of the workhorse for us and just busts his butt, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

LOCATION, LOCATION

... The game was held at Palisades, with Southern Lehigh utilizing the option to play at a neutral site. The Spartans do not have turf or lights at their soccer field.

LOOKING FOR MORE

... Northwestern has won four district titles in the last five years. The Tigers claimed the Class 2A crown in 2015, before winning back-to-back 3A titles in 2016 and 2017 and again last year.

DOUBLEHEADER ... Lehighton will be the site of both the Northwestern boys and girls district finals Thursday. The girls will play Pottsville in the 3A final at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 7:30.