North Schuylkill's Lilah Helwig converts a penalty kick during the second half of the Spartans' 3-1 win over Williams Valley in the Schuylkill League girls' soccer quarterfinals (Photo by North Schuylkill athletics).

Record-breaking seasons for the North Schuylkill girls’ soccer and Shenandoah Valley boys’ soccer teams came to an end Tuesday in the District 11 semifinals.

The Spartans were shut out by undefeated and top-seeded Northwestern Lehigh 8-0 in a girls’ Class AA semifinal at Catasauqua High School. The Blue Devils fell 4-1 to Notre Dame-Green Pond in a boys’ Class AA semifinal at Lehighton’s Multi-Purpose Stadium.

“It’s not the result we wanted,” North Schuylkill coach Clint Warner said. “That said, great season and very proud of what the girls have accomplished.”

Northwestern Lehigh (23-0) scored four goals in the first half and four more in the second half, finishing with a 14-3 advantage in shots on goal. All-State freshman midfielder Lilah Helwig had all three shots for the Spartans (17-6).

Sophia Schaffer had a pair of goals and three assists for Northwestern Lehigh, the two-time defending district champs. The Tigers will take on Allentown Central Catholic, an 8-0 winner over Saucon Valley, in Thursday’s championship game at 5 p.m. at Northern Lehigh.

Senior Brooke Balliet scored off a pass from Schaffer, sophomore Dylan Ritter deposited a long shot from 30 yards away, Paige Bissell tallied a goal on a rebound and Schaffer scored her 50^th career goal to give Northwestern Lehigh a 4-0 halftime lead.

The Tigers made it 5-0 on a header from sophomore Alexis Kercher, and Bissell made it 6-0 on a long shot from 35 yards out. Marlyse DeLillo found a spot just under the crossbar and hit it from 35 yards out and Schaffer tacked on another goal when she fired on goal from 20 yards out and stretched the lead to 8-0.

The shutout was the 17th of the season for the Tigers and junior goalie Olivia Rinehart. Madelyn Moyer had six saves for North Schuylkill.

While the loss is tough, the future is bright for North Schuylkill.

Featuring a lineup of five seniors, two sophomores and four freshmen, with several other freshmen seeing extensive playing time, the Spartans went 14-4 in the regular season to qualify for the Schuylkill League playoffs for the first time.

North Schuylkill then notched the first two league playoff wins in program history by beating Williams Valley and Schuylkill Haven before falling 2-0 to Blue Mountain in the league final. The Spartans opened districts with a convincing 3-1 win over Bethlehem Catholic before falling to the Tigers.

Helwig led the Schuylkill League with 43 goals and 110 points and was tied for the league lead with 24 assists. Fellow freshman midfielder Addie Urban tallied 20 goals and 18 assists, while another freshman, forward Addy Balicki, compiled 10 goals and five assists. Those three, plus senior defender Marlie White, were first-team Division I all-star picks by the Schuylkill County Soccer Coaches Association.

“We have a very young team so the experience over the past three months has been exceptional for this group,” Warner said. “We have a long way to go to truly reach our potential but … I’d say this year was a darned good start. We’ll be back at it next year.”

District 11 Girls’ Soccer

Class AA Semifinal

At Catasauqua

North Sch. (17-6) —- 0      0   —- 0

NW Lehigh (23-0) —- 4      4   —- 8

NW — Balliet (Schaffer), 1^st half

NW — Ritter (Flores), 1^st half

NW — Bissell, 1^st half

NW — Schaffer, 1^st half

NW — Kercher, 2^nd half

NW — Bissell, 2^nd half

NW — DeLillo, 2^nd half

NW — Schaffer, 2^nd half

Shots on goal: North Schuylkill 3, Northwestern Lehigh 14. Corner kicks: North Schuylkill 0, Northwestern Lehigh 10. Saves: North Schuylkill (Moyer) 6, Northwestern Lehigh (Rinehart) 3

Class AA Boys

Notre Dame-GP 4, Shenandoah Valley 1

LEHIGHTON — Like the North Schuylkill girls, the Shenandoah Valley boys captured the hearts of their community this season, their first official campaign as a varsity team.

The Blue Devils went 17-1 in the regular season, winning the Schuylkill League Division II title with an unbeaten 12-0 mark. Shenandoah Valley qualified for the league playoffs for the first time before losing to eventual champion Blue Mountain in the semifinals, then got to host its first-ever District 11 playoff game in the quarterfinals and secured its first-ever D-11 win with a 1-0 victory over North Schuylkill.

Tuesday, the Blue Devils’ run came to an end as Shenandoah Valley was only able to muster two shots on goal against third-seeded Notre Dame-Green Pond.

The Crusaders (15-5-1) scored three goals in the first half, one 14 minutes in on a long ball from near midfield, the second on a scramble in front and the other on a corner kick.

Shenandoah Valley (18-3) scored its only goal with 5 seconds left in the first half when Antonio Ruiz finished a crossing pass by Ayden Zamudio from the right corner. The Devils couldn’t get any closer, with Notre Dame-Green Pond scoring its final goal late in the game on a breakaway.

The Crusaders advance to play unbeaten and top-seeded Northwestern Lehigh in Thursday’s title match at 7 p.m. at Northern Lehigh.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Shenandoah Valley coach John Burke said. “They never stopped battling.”