By the time the high school soccer season rolls around, Northwestern will be without eight seniors, including six starters, from last year's team that won the Colonial League championship.

Cody Gangaware, an incoming senior, is a returning two-year starter for the Tigers. Judging by his play in the Lehigh Valley Summer Soccer League, Gangaware is ready to take on an even bigger role than he endured last season.

In New Tripoli Bank FC's victory last week, Gangaware scored four goals and handed out an assist in an 11-0 route of Pen Argyl last Wednesday. The Tigers are 3-1 on the season with a goal differential of plus-12.

"I was well pleased with the result," head coach Nate Hunsicker said. "We were actually missing three starters and one of our two top reserves. The kids are really starting to jell. We lost a lot of seniors from last year, so it's a lot of new faces starting to get together on the same page. They're really starting to come together now."

"I'm hoping to bring the team closer together," Gangaware said.

Gangaware played the role of facilitator early on, crossing a perfectly placed ball into the front of Pen Argyl's goal where Josh Bryan headed in the first of his two goals on the evening. That tally put the Tigers in front 1-0 early.

There would be no letting off the gas pedal as the game progressed.

Roughly a minute after Bryan's opening goal, Gangaware punched in his first of four to make it a 2-0 lead. He added goals four and six for the Tigers, all coming in the first half, before Northwestern went into intermission with a comfortable 8-0 advantage.

"We're kind of testing kids in certain positions and seeing how they respond," Hunsicker said. "Obviously you play to win the game, but I'm not going to lose sleep over a loss."

Bryan and Gangaware both added goals in the second half to solidify the team's 11-0 win.

"There are kids that normally don't play certain positions," Gangaware said, "but I think we're really working through it well. We're coming along as a team."

In the atmosphere of summer league soccer, players are prepping their conditioning for once the fall league schedule begins in early September. That is still a little less than three months away, but Gangaware understands the importance of staying up to speed in the summer months.

"Mostly conditioning and my first touch," Gangaware said of his offseason focus. "That's mainly the thing I'm working on the most."

While Gangaware has looked solid in the midfield throughout the summer, he was not always in that position during his high school career. He has made the transition from a starting defender as a sophomore to midfield last season, and the switch will be vital as enters his final high school season.

"Last year, he started moving up to the outside midfield," Hunsicker said, "and this year he'll probably be moving into the interior midfield."

"Cody is going to be, if not a captain, he'll definitely be one of the giant building blocks that we're going to be based around."

Jarett Humes started in goal for the Tigers, but was rarely tested from Pen Argyl.

Results from Wednesday's game against Bears United (Pleasant Valley High School) were not available at time of press. The Tigers face Freedom on Monday at Lehigh University's Field 2 at 7:15 p.m.