ALLENTOWN - Tamaqua never imagined it would be playing in a District 11 semifinal game this season.

Allentown Central Catholic played like it never expected to be anywhere else.

The Vikettes dominated play and rolled to a 4-0 victory over the Blue Raiders in a Class 2A contest on Wednesday.

“We were living on borrowed time,” said Tamaqua coach Clem McCarroll. “To lose nine starters from last year’s team, and then make league and district playoffs is something no one could have expected heading into the season.

“Then to beat Pine Grove in our opening district game just added to an incredible season for our girls. Today, we ran into an outstanding team. By far, Central Catholic was the best team we played this season.”

The Vikettes wasted no time in displaying their skill and power as Isabel DeVos and Madalyn Szoke both scored goals in the game’s first seven minutes.

“I thought we got off to a great start,” said Central Catholic coach Rob Spatzer. “We played really well in the first 10-15 minutes of the game. We did a nice job of controlling the ball and keeping the pressure on Tamaqua.

“We didn’t finish the first half off as well as I would have liked to see, but we regrouped a little at halftime, and played a much more complete second half.”

The Vikettes had a 10-0 advantage in shots during the opening half, but Raider goalie Zoe Seltzer came up with eight saves.

“Zoe was under pressure the entire game,” said McCarroll. “I thought she did a nice job keeping us in the game.

“We still felt like we had a chance down just two goals at half, and Zoe had a big part to play in that.”

With Tamaqua struggling to create scoring opportunities, Central Catholic eventually put the game out of reach when Erica Dietz scored off a Szoke assist with 29:42 remaining. Abbey Kofroth capped the scoring when she took a pass from Dietz and hammered it home a few minutes later.

“We pride ourselves on controlling the ball and spreading it around,” said Spatzer. “We have a lot of girls who can contribute offensively, and you saw that today with four different girls scoring for us.”

Despite the loss, McCarroll was thrilled with what his team accomplished.

“I’m really proud of how we played this season to put ourselves in this position,” he said. “We were so inexperienced at so many positions. But these girls kept working hard and improving.

“We were a team that was definitely peaking late in the season, and that’s what you want to see as a coach.”

THE NUMBERS ... Allentown Central Catholic finished with a 21-5 advantage in shots and a 5-0 edge in corners. Seltzer made 17 saves in the Raider goal. Emily Vaughan made five saves for the Vikettes.

CLOSE, BUT ... Tamaqua’s Sophia Boyle came close to breaking the shutout in the final minutes, but Vaughan just got a hand on Boyle’s blast from about 25 yards out, deflecting it off the crossbar.

WHAT’S NEXT ... Central Catholic improves to 10-3-1. It will play Palisades for the District 11 2A championship on Saturday. Tamaqua ended its season with a 9-11 record.