Northwestern’s boys soccer season had some ups and downs. But when it mattered most the Tigers played their best. After an 11-4-1 regular season, the Tigers found another gear in the postseason. They plowed through leagues and districts, winning both titles. They even won their opening-round state playoff game before falling Saturday to Bishop Shannahan.

“The kids went through so much this year and I’m still beyond proud of everything that we accomplished,” said Northwestern head coach Nate Hunsicker. “It’s a great group of guys and they love each other and play for each other. We made a massive push in the postseason, and we proved we were a solid team and we represented both the league and the district well.”

Hunsicker and several players have acknowledged two key points in the season that made the team stronger.

The first was a 1-0 loss in the final seconds of a game against Palisades. The loss had the players, who were undermanned because of injuries, distraught for a while, but they used the game to turn things around and play better soccer.

The second turning point was the return of Brensinger and Coffield from injuries. The two missed most of their senior seasons and came back just in time to wrap up the regular season and give the team a boost through the playoffs.

The Tigers’ roster has 12 seniors who will embark on their post high school lives next spring. While that leaves some holes to fill, the roster is also full of younger players who played plenty of varsity minutes and can step into bigger roles with the team next season.

“You know every year that you’re going to go through losing some guys and we definitely lose some big guns who are also great kids,” said Hunsicker. “On the bright side, we bring a lot of talent back, including a couple of kids that start and have been big role players for us. Plus, we have a couple new guys who will be ready for their opportunity next year. We’ll be back.”