When a team has won all of the games on its schedule to date, there is not much that needs to be worked on. The Northwestern Lehigh High School boys soccer team is undefeated at 16-0 and has won 13 of those games by more than one goal. Head coach Nate Hunsicker has had mostly all positive vibes in the clubhouse this season.

“So far, I think we’ve played some really good soccer this season,” said Hunsicker. “We’ve had some ups and downs along the way and some games we’ve left teams hang with us more than they probably should have, but to this point we’ve always came away with the result. We’ve worked really hard at cleaning up the little things that we know can ultimately make the difference between winning and losing a playoff game.”

At the beginning of the year, the Tigers were young at some positions on the field. But experience in-game has helped them along the way.

“We’ve played really well in all facets of the game,” Hunsicker said. “Our chemistry has really started to click. In the beginning of the year, we had a lot of new faces in the lineup as well as guys stepping into new roles. I’m really happy with where we are now, however there’s always room for improvement. Each day we work hard to improve and be the best version of ourselves. We have a few weeks left before the games really count and we know we need to be as perfect as possible. We recognize the margin for error in a one and done playoff needs to be minimized.”

The one area on the field that may be the strongest unit is the defense. The Tigers have nine shutouts and have only allowed more than one goal in a game twice. They haven’t given up more than two goals in a game all year.

“Our defense was probably the biggest question mark coming into the season,” said Hunsicker. “We have a first-year starter in goal, and start a really young back line, one freshman, one sophomore and one junior. These guys have exceeded my expectations and then some. They have played really well this season and will be a huge part of how far we advance this postseason. We have the utmost confidence in them. They have really come together as a unit this season and with each passing day continue to improve.”

Hunsicker mentioned some of the standouts on the field outside of the defense that have contributed.

“Outside of our two forwards, Matt and Josh, who have done the bulk of our scoring for us, have played outstanding this season,” Hunsicker said. “Midfielders Jack (Mauro), Jake (Van Lierop) and Cayden (Fitch) have all had fantastic seasons and are really the focal point of our possession-oriented style of play we try to impose on our opponents. Additionally, Issac Frey has had a fantastic year in his first year starting for us at wingback. He’s scored a bunch of goals for us and has been a fantastic two-way player.”

There are two games left against to finish off the regular season before the postseason. Hunsicker has one message for his team.

“Just to stay focused,” said Hunsicker. “After our victory over Upper Perk, we only have two games left this regular season, both against teams we would expect to win against. After that we have a long layoff until league playoffs begin for us. We need to stay focused and keep up our level of intensity and competitiveness heading into the postseason. It will be my job to make sure to are continuing to work hard and stay focused during practice.”