1 week Ago
Northwestern Lehigh High School senior Jacob van Lierop reached deep into his tool box to deliver all three goals for the Tigers in their 3-0 victory over Moravian Academy in the Colonial League boys soccer championship match Saturday morning at Catasauqua’s Alumni Field. Van Lierop broke the scoreless tie for top-seeded Northwestern (21-0) at the 24:30 mark of the second half when he rose above a pack of players to kick the ball over his head and past Moravian goalie James FitzRandolph. “That was a nice goal,” van Lierop said.
“I knew the goalie was out a little, and I swung my leg.” In the first half, van Lierop was just wide on a full-out, over-his-head bicycle kick. “Almost got that one” van Lierop said.
Van Lierop then induced a penalty kick a little more than four minutes after his icebreaker. He was plowed over by a defender just inside the box as the ball was rolling over the end line. “I knew if I got my body between me and the ball, he’d have to go through me to get it,” said the 5-foot-7, 148-pound van Lierop who firmly stood his ground to earn the foul.
FitzRandolph put a hand on van Lierop’s low offering to the goalie’s left side, but the Tiger had enough power behind the PK to increase the lead to 2-0. “The first one was a freak goal (by van Lierop), and I don’t know if the second one merited a penalty,” Moravian Academy coach George Andriko said. “I really thought the first team to score was going to win.
It is what it is; give credit to Northwestern because they didn’t give us many opportunities.” Van Lierop heeded what all coaches preach about playing to the final whistle. He scored on a breakaway with 26 seconds left to complete the hat trick.
“I wasn’t thinking about that (hat trick),” van Lierop said. “I actually was thinking about running out the clock and taking it to the corner, but when I saw the opportunity I took it.” Van Lierop played a supporting role last fall to top scorers Matt Johnson and Josh Zellner with 23 assists.
The program’s career assist leader has more than compensated for Johnson and Zellner’s graduation with 57 goals this fall. And believe it or not, van Lierop’s first goal was a dandy but maybe not his best shot of the game, according to coach Nathan Hunsicker. “How about that free kick he almost put in? He was so close,” Hunsicker said.
Van Lierop delivered a direct kick from distance on the left side that grazed the cross bar and dropped in front of the net. Cole Mertz’s follow-up header went over the cross bar. Third-seeded Moravian Academy (14-7) avenged a regular-season loss to second-seeded Southern Lehigh to reach the championship match in search of its first league title since 2019.
The Lions also lost 3-0 to the Tigers on Sept. 24, but this game had a much different vibe. “There was a lot more intensity today,” said Northwestern goalie Brandon Krapf, who was required to make two saves.
“It’s always a big game when we play Moravian.” Van Lierop said the difference between the halves was the Tigers’ ability to connect the dots. “In the first half I don’t think we played badly,” van Lietrop said.
“In the second half we put more things together, and that gave us better chances. We were more patient finding each other.” “Obviously, scoring three goals was a difference, but we started finishing our opportunities and creating things.
They had a couple of opportunities, and it was great to see our defense keep them out of the goal,” Hunsicker said. Krapf said the Tigers were sound in executing their defensive strategy. “The main thing was we didn’t want to let them get through balls against us,” Krapf said.
“They’re good at that, and our defense got in the way and took that away from them.” Center back Nate Kinzel and defenders Austin Bittenbender and Isaiah Lynch pinching in from the outside helped make Northwestern, 71-2 over the last three seasons, strong up the middle as it soars into the District 11 2A tournament as the five-time defending champion and top seed. Moravian Academy, the 11-time Class A district champion, has been bumped up to Class 2A this season because of the PIAA’s transfer and success rate rule.
The Lions will slot in as the No. 4 or 5 seed and probably would see Northwestern in the semifinals if they win their quarterfinal. “We weren’t good enough today; we didn’t come here for second place,” Andriko said.
“We welcome the competition (in Class 2A). If we take care of business we’ll probably see them again, and I’m looking forward to seeing if we can rise to the occasion.” Our journalism needs your support.
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