One step closer.

That’s how Northwestern Lehigh players feel about their win in the semifinals Tuesday night against North Schuylkill that sends them to the District 11 2A girls soccer finals against Allentown Central Catholic as they search for a sixth-straight championship.

The Lady Tigers put up eight goals and held the Spartans in check throughout the game for an 8-0 win at Northern Lehigh’s Bulldog Stadium.

The Northwestern (23-0-0) defense had two concerns coming into the game in Spartans’ freshmen Addie Urban and Lilah Helwig. The duo combined for 63 goals and 42 assists through 18 games this season as part of a team that two seasons ago won just three games. Northwestern was up to the task and kept both players in check throughout the game and limited the North Schuylkill to just three shots on goal.

Meanwhile, the offense found some cracks in a defense that started strong but withered throughout the game. The first goal was born out of what appeared to be a non-play when Sophia Schaffer was able to use her speed to track down a ball that appeared to be heading out of bounds. As she prevented the ball from crossing the end line, she quickly pivoted and found Brook Balliet in front of the net and got the ball to the senior who put it into the right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

It would take nearly another 20 minutes for the second goal, and it came in an unexpected way. As Northwestern looked to work the ball down the field, sophomore Dylan Ritter took a feed from Syenna Flores and put a shot on goal from about 30 yards away that surprised even goaltender Maddie Moyer.

The surprise shot, combined with Moyer being screened by other players, allowed the ball to float easily into the goal and Northwestern was up 2-0. After having to wait for that goal, the next score came just under a minute later when Paige Bissell was able to play a rebound back on goal and fed it past Moyer to expand the breathing room for Northwestern.

“As a senior this feels pretty good, and it’s my fourth year to get to play in the finals, so that’s an amazing feeling and I’m really proud of this team and all of my teammates,” said Bissell.

Before halftime, Schaffer reached a career milestone when she sidestepped Moyer, who had come out of the goal to cut down the angle and put the ball into a wide open net for her 50th career goal and a 4-0 Tigers lead.

Rules call for a running clock to begin if a team takes a six goal lead, and the Tigers seemed destined to speed up the second half when they scored twice in the first seven minutes of the second half.

First was a perfectly played header from sophomore Alexis Kercher, and then Northwestern switched to some longball when Bissell put a ball into the top left corner of the goal from 35 yards away for the 6-0 lead, which kicked in the running clock.

Marlyse Delillo found a spot just under the crossbar and hit it from 35 yards out, and Schaffer tacked on another goal when she fired on goal from 20 yards out and stretched the lead to 8-0.

When it was all said and done, the Tigers outshot North Schuylkill 17-3 and collected nine corners while not allowing the Spartans a corner in the game.

“Anytime you can get to a district final it’s a great feeling, and to do that by a score of 8-0 you know that you were able to put a lot of balls in the back of the net, it must mean that you’re playing pretty well,” said Northwestern coach Jordan Smith of his team’s performance in the semifinals.

The shutout was the 17th of the season for the Tigers and junior goalie Olivia Rinehart.

“It always feels great to get a shutout and keep that zero on the board,” said Rinehart.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD… Northwestern and Central Catholic will meet in the district championship for the third straight season, with the Tigers winning both of the previous matchups. Last season, Balliet scored the lone goal for a 1-0 win, and the fifth straight district title for the Lady Tigers. The district final is set for Thursday at Northern Lehigh at 5 p.m.

“They just won the EPC which is a tough task, and they present a lot of physicality, and their speed and technical skill is very good,” said Smith. “They have a lot of good players but so do we.”