It was one of the biggest games of Mason Brensinger’s life.

And the Northwestern junior delivered one of the best moments of his career.

Brensinger’s goal in double overtime lifted the Tigers past top seed Southern Lehigh and into the District 11 Class 3A boys soccer finals with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

“The nerves are there,” Brensinger said. “I just didn’t want to go into PKs (penalty kicks) again, because the last time that happened, it didn’t go our way. So I just wanted to finish it.

“It just feels great. We knew it was going to be a good game coming in, and we tried to give it our all.”

Both perennial powerhouses, the two programs went to penalty kicks to decide the Colonial League champion a little over a week ago with the Spartans coming out on top 2-1.

Brensinger’s score made sure Northwestern wouldn’t let history repeat itself.

“It was a great buildup,” Tigers’ head coach Nate Hunsicker said of the play, which included a pass from Seth Brady. “Mason got the ball on his foot and he just saw loads of space coming through the central part of the midfield and I think he was just like, ‘The hell with it, I’m going to go for it.’ And he made a beautiful run.

“He kind of persevered his way through a tackle and just kept the little engine that could through there. The keeper (Ayden Scharper) came out and I thought he was going to gobble it up on him, and then he was kind of just able to get enough on it and squirt it into the corner.”

No matter the margin, it means Northwestern - seeded fourth - will have a chance to defend its district title Thursday against No. 2 Blue Mountain.

“The keeper was there, I had that hesitation, but I just hit it to the corner and it went in,” Brensinger said.

The Tigers were on the wrong end of both previous meetings against Southern Lehigh this season, suffering a 2-1 loss in the regular season before their defeat in the league final.

“It’s interesting when you think about it. In the league final, we thought that we thoroughly outplayed them and we should have won,” said Hunsicker. “And then tonight I thought they had the majority of the better play. I thought in the second half we played way better than we did in the first half, and the overtimes were back-and-forth.

“But at the end of the day, they probably deserve the result, but it’s both, in my opinion, the best thing and the worst thing about soccer that the team that showcases themselves the best for the majority of the time doesn’t always get the result. But it is what it is and I’ll take it tonight.”

Southern Lehigh had a chance with 8:30 to play in regulation when Thijs Immerzeel made a sliding shot in front of Tigers’ goalie Austin Vogwill but pushed it over the crossbar.

Another scoring opportunity knocked when Luca Prando put a shot on goal just two minutes into the second overtime but Vogwill came up with the save. Prando also had a shot from close range in the first half but was stopped again by Vogwill.

Jeff Garcia, who delivered a hat trick in Northwestern’s quarterfinal victory over Bangor, had a free kick with 0:32 to play in the second half but put it over the cross bar.

But it was Brensinger who broke the seal and sent the Tigers back to the district final.

“He didn’t get a single goal all of last year,” Hunsicker said. “This makes four now for him tonight, so for him to get it, it’s awesome.

“He was super excited, and that was the prototypical Mason Brensinger play, though, where he is just kind of the workhorse for us and just busts his butt and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Quarterfinal,

Thursday, Oct. 29

Bangor-Northwestern

The sting of a disappointing loss in the Colonial League final hovered around the Northwestern boys soccer team like the remnants of Tropical Storm Zeta.

Unlike the winds and rain swirling around New Tripoli, the Tigers made sure the letdown didn’t linger.

On the strength of Jeff Garcia’s hat trick, Northwestern stormed into the District 11 Class 3A semifinals with a 5-1 victory over Bangor on Thursday. The triumph sets the stage for a showdown with top seed Southern Lehigh, which claimed the league title against the Tigers on penalty kicks.

“On the heels of a disappointing loss in leagues, it’s always tough to get things fired back up and kicked off in district play,” said Northwestern head coach Nate Hunsicker. “Things could go one of two ways; you can kind of keep your head buried in the sand and feel bad for yourself, or you can come out swinging.

“We were very determined to come out and make a strong run in district play, so tonight was step one of a three-step process. We’ve got Round 3 with Southern Lehigh next Tuesday, and we’re chomping at the bit for some revenge hopefully.”

Garcia made sure there was no hangover from Saturday’s loss to the Spartans, scoring his first goal from close range less than four minutes into the first half.

Senior Seth Brady, who entered the contest tied with Colin Coffield for the team lead in goals with 13, fired a shot into the back of the net to give the No. 4 seed Tigers a 2-0 halftime lead.

“We needed this, for sure,” said Garcia. “We were excited for tonight. We knew we could do it. So we came out really hyper and got the job done.”

Garcia, who had seven goals coming into the match, converted a penalty kick with 26:57 to play in the second half, and added his third goal with a little over 20 minutes to play to make it 4-0.

“It felt good. It’s been a while,” said Garcia. “I’ve been struggling, I can’t lie. I missed half the season, so it felt good to finally get some on the sheet. I was out for seven, eight games, and just getting a chance to play with everyone that’s like family, it’s the best feeling.”

The senior, who missed time with a hamstring injury suffered just days before the season’s first game, has energized a motivated Northwestern (14-4) team that wants to make another deep postseason run.

“Jeff’s awesome for us,” said Hunsicker. “He just makes so many things happen for us in the midfield; set pieces, corners, finishing off penalties the way he does. He’s just an all-around solid player, and he just makes our team better in all facets of the game.

“We’re just such a different team with him in the lineup. And it shows. Not only just him being there, but he makes everyone around him better, and you can’t ask for more than that.”

The fifth-seeded Slaters got one back when senior Matt Frangos launched a shot into the net from around 20 yards out shortly after Garcia netted his hat trick.

But the score seemed to only stoke the Tigers, who answered when junior Mason Brensinger made it 5-1 with 11:29 remaining.

Garcia’s absence from the lineup opened the door for others to gain valuable playing time, something that Hunsicker hopes will pay dividends as the Tigers chase their second straight district title.

“Looking back, maybe it made us better,” said Hunsicker. “Other kids had to step up in the interim and play different roles and bigger minutes.”