The Northwestern Lehigh girls' soccer team remembered the feeling from last season's loss to Saucon Valley in the district championship game.

The Tigers made sure last week they wouldn't experience that same hardship a year later.

Tied in a 1-1 game against Blue Mountain, the No. 1 seeded Tigers scored three consecutive goals to capture the 4-1 victory over the No. 2 seeded Lady Eagles and the District 11 Class AA Girls' Soccer Championship last Thursday at J. Birney Crum Stadium.

"In practice when we were getting a little lazy, we would try to remind ourselves that we have to work hard," said Lexi Gawelko, who scored the game-winning goal. "We have to be mentally tough the whole time. We just really had to focus on winning."

"Last year was a heartbreaker, definitely, because we worked so hard for it" Sabrina Mertz said. "To come back this year, I think we were ever stronger and more prepared."

While Sarah Segan entered the Tigers' district title game as the team's leading goal-scorer, it was her vision and passing that helped give Northwestern a lead late in the first half.

Attacking the Lady Eagles' goal, Segan spotted a cutting Gawelko in front of the goal. Segan's ball made it through the Lady Eagles' defense, and Gawelko got a foot on it to put in the game-winning score to the right side of the net with 12:57 remaining in the half.

"We've been working on finishing off the end-line cross all season," Gawelko said. "It was a great ball to Segan, and Segan had a great cross. I was just the one there to finish it."

The Tigers dominated play in the second half, tallying seven shots compared to one for the Lady Eagles.

But it wasn't until late in the half that the Tigers were able to get some breathing room.

Segan made a move on a number of Lady Eagle defenders, and her shot hit the top crossbar and bounced into goal with 7:20 to play. That gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead.

Nearly four minutes later, Segan added her second goal of the game. Angela Motolese's pass found Segan in front of the goal, and the Tigers went in front comfortably, 4-1, with 3:27 to play.

"Their one player had to move up forward who was marking me the whole game," Segan said. "She's a really great player. She was on me really well the whole game. When they moved up, we were able to create more opportunities, but also had to watch her back there."

The Tigers got on the scoreboard first on a left-footed strike by Mertz not even 10 minutes into the game.

A little more than nine minutes later, however, the Lady Eagles responded with a goal by Abigail Fanelli that tied the game 1-1.

The Tigers would retake the lead nearly nine minutes later, and never let the Blue Eagles get back in it.