It took nearly a half for Pleasant Valley’s lacrosse team to get in gear.

But once they did, there was no stopping them.

The Bears, the defending Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 Class 3A champions, found themselves in a dogfight against an improved Northwestern squad on Tuesday.

PV held just a one-goal lead against the Tigers with a minute left until halftime, but a three-goal spurt in that final minute, along with a dominant second half resulted in an eventual 15-4 non-league victory in its season opener.

“The first game, you have (some issues), but there were mistakes that shouldn’t have been made,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Toni Bush. “We’re trying to get a new offense working together. When you get new players in there each year, even though we have a majority of returners, you throw in a few new ones on the defensive end and the offensive end, you’ve got to get the flow going.

“So, they’re just working on getting their flow. The first half was not the best, but they cleaned it up in the second half.”

Did they ever.

The Bears took a 4-1 lead after one period of play, receiving a pair of goals from Rylee Rath, as well as one each from both Sam Miller and Morgan Ryals.

But Northwestern battled back in the second, using patience on offense and a solid defense to pull within 4-3. Gracie Scheffler scored early in the period, while Cara Thomas tallied on a rising shot with 4:57 left until the break to pull the Tigers within a single goal.

“What a start,” said Northwestern mentor Pam Colistra. “I was very impressed. Throughout the entire game, we really showed poise and patience. Possession was key to get us to where we were. I’m just really proud of the girls for competing at such a high level.

“(We wanted to) keep the game evenly matched and keep the score down.”

The Tigers’ strategy worked until the three-goal blitz at the end of the half that widened the gap and gave Pleasant Valley momentum heading into the third quarter.

Rath found the net with 51.8 seconds to play in the second, and then won the ensuing draw which led to a Devon Bush goal with 39 ticks remaining on the clock. Another draw control won by Rath eventually resulted in a Ryals tally with 17.4 showing on the scoreboard.

“They started to get their confidence back,” said Coach Bush. “They settled in a little bit. The offense started settling in and we didn’t have as many turnovers.

“And when Rylee’s able to direct (the draw), and you can hear them out there, there’s a lot of communication. They know where they need to be on the circle, so draw controls have always been a strong area for us.”

With a 7-3 advantage and confidence back, the Bears began to pull away. Rath poured in three consecutive goals to push the margin to 10-3.

Northwestern’s Mykaela Yanders ended the PV run with a goal off the free position late in the third, but the Bears registered all five goals in the final quarter — from four different players — to secure the win.

“That’s our goal,” said Coach Bush about spreading the wealth on offense. “We want to develop a full team offense. We don’t want an offense of just two players.

“(Northwestern) came out nice and strong. Their stickwork has improved. Their defense, they came out stronger on defense, they really made our offense work tonight. They’re definitely doing well.”

While the Tigers couldn’t keep Pleasant Valley at bay in the second half, the strong showing in the first can only serve to build confidence moving forward.

“The end of the first half was a little bit crushing, but they didn’t lose composure,” said Colistra. “They stayed in it. And they fought. They battled until the last second, they really did. I’m proud of the girls.

“We can gain confidence from this game, go back to the Lehigh Valley and play against competitive teams. I think we’re on a high going into our game on Thursday.”

FEELING HER RATH ... Rath poured in a game-high six goals, added an assist and was dominant in draw controls. Ryals was also strong offensively with four goals and a helper. Bush finished with a pair of goals and three assists, while Olivia Iandoli contributed a goal and three assists.

STRONG IN GOAL ... The final score could have been more lopsided but Northwestern sophomore goalie Ashley Yacynych came up with 11 saves, including a few on high percentage shots.

Northwestern 1 2 1 0 - 4

Pleasant Valley 4 3 3 5 - 15

Goals: Northwestern - Mykaela Yanders 1, Olivia Costa 1, Cara Thomas 1, Gracie Scheffler 1; Pleasant Valley - Rylee Rath 6, Morgan Ryals 4, Devon Bush 2, Olivia Iandoli 1, Brille Halamar 1, Sam Miller; Assists: Northwestern - None; Pleasant Valley - Devon Bush 3, Olivia Iandoli 3, Rylee Rath 1, Morgan Ryals 1, Brille Halamar 1; Goalies (Saves) - Ashley Yacynych, Northwestern - 11; Abygail Borger, Pleasant Valley - 6.