Palmerton head coach David O’Brien entered this season with an optimistic outlook after a great season last year and a number of players returning.

So it’s no surprise to him that the team won its first Colonial League championship, and advanced to the District 11 Class 2A semifinals after shutting out Bethlehem Catholic 2-0 in a quarterfinal round game at Palmerton Area High School Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Bombers scored early, and added an insurance goal late, to secure the win.

“I’m just so proud of this team this year, how they’ve jelled and have built up an identity for themselves, and they’re just on a roll right now and excited to keep going,” said O’Brien.

Less than five minutes into the game, it was sophomore Natalie Walters who scored her 31st goal of the year pushing one past Becahi goalie Gabby Amato off an assist from Beth Morgan.

“For us as a team, it’s important to get an early goal; it just gets us in the mood and gives us momentum,” said Walters. “The pass from Morgan was perfect. I just took advantage of it.

“I got the pass and took a couple of touches. I realized the keeper was coming out and I saw the back of the net, and that’s where I tried to put it and that’s where it went.”

Both teams were battling, but were unable to score through the rest of the first and second halves, before Palmerston took advantage of a perfect corner kick by Riley Gerhard to add an insurance goal. Emma Martinez poked the ball into the net to make it 2-0 with 9:51 remaining.

“Riley has been amazing at kicking those corners all year,” said Martinez. “Beth Morgan usually gets a head on them, but when it went over here, I knew it was my turn and I got a touch on it, and I think the goalie helped tip it in, which was nice.”

O’Brien thought the early goal was extremely huge, and challenges his team to get off to a good start like that.

But he was also impressed with his defense, as well as the play of goalie Emma Snyder after intermission.

“They threw everything they had at us in the second half, said O’Brien. “I have to give huge credit to our defense. Bethlehem Catholic is a good team and has a lot of talented players. We really didn’t give them any real opportunities. We really shut them down in the final third of the game. I’m very proud of them.

“It was also great to have that insurance goal at the end, and Riley has just been money for us all year on those corner kicks. She has about 11 assists now and most are on corner kicks.”

NEXT STEP ... The Bombers will now take on Allentown Central Catholic, a 3-2 winner over Saucon Valley, in Tuesday’s semifinal at a site and time to be determined.