Heading into the Lehigh Valley Summer Soccer League (LVSSL) playoffs, the Northwestern boys had not lost a game since a 2-1 defeat to Liberty Blue on the season's opening night.

Since then, the Tigers won seven of their nine regular season games with two ties, tying them for first place with Robinson Plumbing A in Group B as the playoffs started last Wednesday.

That successful trend continued for the Tigers, as Northwestern won its first two playoff games, 4-1 over Warren United and 2-1 over CSG Falcons (Salisbury), to advance to Friday's championship game against Saucon Valley. That's where the Tigers' run came to an end via a 2-1 defeat in the final game of the season.

The Tigers' 4-1 victory over Warren United in the quarterfinals started their postseason run that ended as one of the final two teams standing.

"We have been moving the ball well and becoming more of a team," Cody Gangaware said. "I think that's our main goal during the summer league. We will see how that works going forward into the regular season."

"We lost a lot of seniors from last year's varsity team," head coach Nate Hunsicker said. "We definitely were going through that acclimation period where the kids needed to gel with one another and get on the same page. The last two or three weeks, I really feel like we're starting to fire on all cylinders."

Gangaware scored two first-half goals to take a 2-0 lead into intermission against Warren United, and the Tigers wouldn't be threatened in the final 30 minutes.

Following alternating goals in the second half to make it a 3-1 Tiger lead, Jonathan Blaine's goal on a penalty kick in the final minutes gave Northwestern a comfortable three-goal advantage over Warren United.

"I really think we moved the ball well," Gangaware said. "I'm really trying to get all of the players to play with one touch and two touches, just so the game is moving quicker. That will create a lot more opportunities for us.

"Just being a senior, I've had more experience playing club soccer and things. I would like to pass that onto younger players as well."

A 2-1 victory over Salisbury, their second victory over the Falcons during the summer, propelled the Tigers into the final.

The Tigers' biggest strength has been their defense, which has allowed just 12 goals in 10 regular season games. Once the postseason hit, the Tigers' defense recorded two one-goal efforts before allowing two against Saucon Valley in the championship.

While the combination of Jarred Humes and Kyle Bellhorn in goal certainly holds a key part in the defense's success, Hunsicker understands that his team's offense has just as much of an impact.

"One of the biggest things that I stress is not just counting on our defenders and keeper to play defense," Hunsicker said, "but playing team defense and having everybody chip in and do their part.

"A good defense starts with good possession in my opinion. We do a really nice job of possessing the ball, and dictating the pace of the game and having the other team play to our strengths, rather than playing to theirs."