First-year Northampton head boys’ soccer coach Chris Bastidas had a good feeling about his team during the summer. That was the first sign there was a transformation from a 6-12 team to a possible league champion.

“We put a lot of work in during the summer,” recalled Bastidas. “You could see there was a lot of talent here, and the chemistry was starting to build.

“We all had a good feeling about our possibilities ahead.”

Tuesday night, Bastidas’s expectations became a huge reality.

The Konkrete Kids blanked Whitehall, 3-0, in the East Penn Conference (EPC) semifinals to advance to Saturday’s final to face Parkland.

It marked the first time a Northampton team had reached an EPC semifinal and final. The victory took on some extra significance for Bastidas, who had been the head coach at Whitehall for the previous eight seasons.

“We’re all very excited about it,” he exclaimed. “When I first came here, I didn’t know what to expect. The team was coming off a 6-12 year.

“But I knew this would be a good situation for me.”

Bastidas saw a 3-0 loss to Parkland Sep. 14 as a catalyst for the rest of the season. The Kids then won 10 straight before they ironically suffered a 2-1 loss to Whitehall last week (Oct. 12).

“After we lost to Parkland, we came back and played very well,” said Bastidas. “We also had a big win over Emmaus (1-0). We gained a lot of confidence, and we felt we could compete for a title.”

Both teams played to a scoreless first half before Northampton’s Xavier Floyd was credited with a goal that went off a Whitehall defender.

“That really gave us a lot of momentum,” noted Bastidas. “We really began to pick up our play. We had some opportunities in the first half.”

Delali Tsome knocked home the other two Kids’ goals that sealed the win. Bastidas credited league MVP Jackson Vajda’s play, who helped open up the field. Vajda leads the team with 33 goals and added 15 assists.

“Whitehall tried to man-mark us, and Jackson really helped us move the ball. He showed why he is the best player in the league. Delali does a lot of things on the field for us, and many of those things go unnoticed.”

Tsome initially believed his team would have a strong season.

“This is a big win for us,” said Tsome. “We have had a good season, and we believed we could go this far. We know we can go far.”

Vajda certainly appreciates his team’s current state. He can equate his team’s chemistry to the basketball team’s success where Vajda is an integral part.

“We struggled the past few seasons,” said Vajda. “We had a great summer, and you could see this coming.

“We had a real brother situation here like the basketball team. We’re with each other on and off the field. We really support each other.”

Vajda also realizes Bastidas’s influence.

“He’s definitely been a big part of our success,” said Vajda. “He has worked with so many players on an individual basis, and he has really inspired us.

“We’re all ready to play for a league title and go even further.”