CATASAUQUA — Northwestern’s field hockey team got a tune up Saturday for what should be an interesting run in its quest for the 2024 Colonial League championship.

Behind the outstanding play of Cara Thomas, who fired home four goals, the Tigers roared past Saucon Valley 7-1 in a quarterfinal round matchup.

It was the first step in the postseason for Northwestern, the top seed in the CL tournament, which is motoring toward a potential deep run in the upcoming District 11 and PIAA state playoffs.

“As a team, we just wanted to come out and dominate,” said Thomas.

Dominate, indeed!

It was practically a tsunami the way Thomas and her teammates engulfed the Panthers, leaving no doubt which team would advance to the semifinals. The Tigers had five goals on the board through the first two quarters.

Thomas flipped in her first point with just two minutes gone in the first quarter. Then, with 3:19 left to play in the opening quarter, Thomas again hit the back end of the cage to double the lead.

“When we come out and dominate, and put balls in the back of the net, it doesn’t matter who we are playing,” said Northwestern head coach Lissa Opolsky.

Maybe that’s why this team went undefeated in league play during the regular season and has a dynamic about itself.

The Tigers’ three top forwards have all scored over 100 points each in their careers. Besides Thomas, there are teammates Oliva Costa — who just scored her 100th point last week — and Carsyn Van Norman.

“They know how to put the ball in (the goal) without our midfield and screens, and they persevere and it enables them to use their skills and (score),” Opolsky said.

Northwestern picked up the pace in the second quarter, tallying three more goals to gain a 5-0 advantage at the break.

Thomas collected her third goal at 13:17 of the second quarter, making it 3-0. Then Van Norman powered through the defenseless Panthers to up the lead to 4-0. Junior Taylor Langley knocked home the fifth goal at the end of the period to give the No. 1 seed a commanding cushion.

As impressive as the Thomas-led scoring attack was, teammate and midfielder Ella Danagello was right in the middle of her offensive output. Danagello kept feeding Thomas with assists, and finished the contest with three. Joining Danagello in assisting was Van Norman with a pair and Riley Stoudt.

“I think we played very well as a team today,” said Thomas, referring to her teammates scoring and assisting. “We like to pressure (teams), just run at them, for them to hit the ball and make turnovers.”

Opolsky knows what it takes to win at this game, a former standout herself during her high school and college career.

“They’re always looking for each other,” she said. “They try and create situations and (give) us numbers … and we move the ball pretty well.”

Although the Tigers didn’t net a goal in the third quarter, they added more in the fourth.

Saucon did manage to dent the scoreboard thanks to Carol Marouchoc, as she slapped a clean shot past the Northwestern defense, making it a 5-1 score at the 11:42 mark of the final quarter.

But back again came Northwestern. And once again, it was Thomas doing the honors.

She buried her third goal of the game with 10:20 left to play, and then capped off her superb afternoon with another tally at the 9:44 mark.

BY THE NUMBERS ... Tigers goalkeeper Ryan Smolinsky was hardly tested, as the Panthers had but one shot. Northwestern had 16 penalty corners and 19 shots on goal.

THE LOSSES … The Tigers fell to powerhouse Crestwood (1-0), Oley Valley (1-0) and Nazareth (3-0) for their three losses. Northwestern’s overall record is now 16-3.

SECOND WIN … Northwestern also won by goals the first time the two teams met during the regular season. The Tigers downed Saucon by a 6-0 score on Sept. 11.