The offseason has gone well so far for the Northwestern Lehigh High School boys soccer team. The Tigers went undefeated in the eight-game regular season portion of the Lehigh Valley Summer Soccer League at Lehigh University. They went 7-0-1 overall and earned the top seed in the upcoming playoffs. Head coach Nate Hunsicker is happy with how his team has played.

“The summer has gone very well so far,” said Hunsicker. “I’m really pleased with how we have looked and been playing this summer so far. Hopefully we keep it going in the playoffs and continue to build off that in the season.

“Our defense has played great. We’ve only given up four goals and have played without our top keeper most of the summer season. Overall, as a team, we’ve defended well and limited chances, but our back line in particular has played great. Additionally, our ability to possess the ball significantly more than our opponents obviously helps too.”

That team success has been due in large part to a number of individual standout players and Hunsicker highlighted some of them.

“Nate Kinzel and Tim Zellner have played awesome, anchoring our back line,” said Hunsicker. “In the midfield a rotation of Jack Mauro, Jake van Lierop, Caelan Stangil and Logan Mesics have done an amazing job keeping possession and building our attack. Then obviously Matt Johnson up top has been an absolute beast and will continue to give teams fits this season.”

Northwestern went 26-1 last season while winning District 11 and PIAA Class 2A titles. Their only loss came in the league title game, a 2-1 overtime setback against Southern Lehigh.

The Tigers lost some talented seniors that graduated, but they also bring back a solid core that gained a ton of postseason experience last year.

“We definitely lost some key players from last season, but you prepare for that, since every year it’s inevitable that it’s going to happen,” Hunsicker said. “We have a strong core of guys coming back and a great blend of young and hungry players ready to make a name for themselves as well. I’m really excited for the potential of this group. It could be another special year, but we have to continue to stay focused and work hard.”

Northwestern played one of Liberty’s two teams in the first round of summer league playoffs this past Monday. Win or lose, there are more things that Hunsicker wants to get out of his team this offseason. Winning titles is always a goal, but the primary focus in summer is preparing for fall.

“Our primary goals in the summer include getting in shape, figuring out who works best in what position and then from there trying to work on formation and chemistry,” said Hunsicker. “We’ve been working really hard this summer and hope to finish the summer with a strong showing in playoffs.

“From there we need to continue to stay focused with our eye on the prize to have a solid regular season and put ourselves in position to make some runs in the postseason.”