BETHLEHEM - Get a scoring opportunity, take advantage of it.

That’s what Freedom did on Monday as it defeated Pleasant Valley 3-0 in the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference boys soccer playoffs.

The Bears had chances, too, but just missed. Two PV shots went off the post in being shut out.

“A couple of them went off the post,” Pleasant Valley head coach Isaac Blagogee said. “We were just unlucky. The boys played well and hard. Somebody’s going to have to win, and they got the better of us.

“Congratulations to them and good luck to them, the rest of the EPCs.”

Freedom scored the first goal as Ryan Freeman-Nield gave his team a 1-0 lead 35 minutes into the game.

The Patriots added two more scores in the second half, and goalie Micah Lowser made the advantage stand up as the No. 3 seed advanced to Wednesday’s semifinals.

“We knew going into it that they’re a dangerous team,” Freedom head coach Tyler Nolan said. “They had finished really, really well and had some good quality wins against some good opponents. Even some of their losses were really, really close and tight-knit games.

“We prepared knowing they were a very good team. They gave us a good run for our money in the first half and had a lot of opportunities. It kind of woke us up a little bit. We started to churn a little bit and possess the ball, and we started to take advantage of our chances.”

The Bears began the EPC playoffs on a five-game winning streak, including a 2-1 victory over Allentown Central Catholic - another team in the EPC playoffs. The stretch allowed PV to improve its record from 7-6 to 12-6 entering the postseason.

While the result wasn’t what they wanted in the EPCs, the Bears will try to regroup and get ready for a better showing in district play.

“We have districts - and Northampton as of right now - coming up,” Blagogee said. “It’s going to be another good game. We’re looking to play them as tough as we possibly can.

“We were 12-6 on the season, and this wasn’t the result we were hoping for, but it’s the result we got and there’s nobody to blame but us. We’re going to work our butt off in districts and try to make it as far as we possibly can. Don’t count us out yet.”

Freedom moves on in the league tournament and will face second-seeded Parkland in the semis. The Trojans downed Central 4-2.

The Patriots (15-2-2) will look to get some revenge against Parkland, who handed them one of their losses this season.

“We’ve been consistent and battling through some injuries,” said Nolan. “That’s kind of been the theme, playing a couple games, then having an injury. Other teams are experiencing that as well.

“It’s been a very good season and now we’re looking to continue that momentum.”

NEXT GAME ... The current district rankings have Pleasant Valley seeded sixth. If the standings hold true, the Bears will face No. 3 Northampton in the district quarterfinals. Northampton went 15-2-1 in the regular season with its losses coming to Parkland and Freedom. The two teams played back on Aug. 30 with the Kids winning a 3-0 decision.

DOUBLE DUTY ... Pleasant Valley goalkeeper Zach Pandolfo has been playing two sports during the fall season. Pandolfo is also the punter and kicker for the football team, and also plays basketball for the Bears.