The Timothy Christian boys soccer team split a pair of recent Chicagoland Christian Conference games.
Timothy downed Chicago Hope Academy 2-0 and then dropped a close 3-2 game to Wheaton Academy in a game that featured two undefeated league teams.
The split put Timothy at 8-6 overall and 4-1 in Chicagoland Christian Conference action.
Thus far, the Trojans defeated Glenbard South (3-1), St. Francis (2-1), Wheaton North (3-1), Northridge Prep (1-0), Chicago Christian (1-0), Woodstock Marian Central (6-0), Middleton (Wisconsin) 2-1 on penalty kicks (1-1 and then Timothy 4-3 on penalty kicks) and Hope (2-0), while losing to Geneva (1-0), Waukegan (2-0), Hinsdale South (2-0), Lemont (2-0), Elgin (1-0) and Wheaton Academy (3-2).
Senior Andrew Nulty came up big in Timothy’s first two conference matches, scoring both game-winning goals in 1-0 victories over Northridge and Chicago Christian.
In the Marian Central Catholic game, a balanced attack led the way with freshman Wilder Laning scoring two goals, while freshman Ty Hoving, junior Owen Hovng, junior Caleb Bechtel and senior Charles Rieger each scoring goals with assists from senior Dylan Drye (2 assists), senior Zach Baker, senior Cole Younglove, junior Travis Huiner and junior Caleb Bechtel.
Timothy coach Joel Zielke noted senior goalie Dylan Barr “has been fantastic for us in net making key saves and keeping us in games in big moments,” he said. “Dylan has made timely saves and is a leader in the back.”
The Trojans also took their annual team trip to Bettendorf, Iowa for the Great River Classic where they encountered a strong Middleton, Wisconsin team.
“They were state champs two years ago and in the state finals last year and currently ranked in the top 10,” Zielke pointed out. “We defended well, but ended up conceding a goal with four minutes to play. The boys, however, were resilient and fought back to tie the game.”
Laning scored the game-tying goal against Middleton that forced penalty kicks, which Timothy won by a 4-3 count thanks to a big save from Barr, ZIelke noted.
Timothy lost to a strong Elgin team 1-0 there and finished in second place in its bracket in Bettendorf. “We ran into a strong Elgin team and competed hard, but weren’t able to generate much offensively,” Zielke said. “Overall, it was a great team bonding experience that saw moments of very high-level soccer and will pay dividends here over the next month-plus.”
Through 12 games, Bechtel was leading the team with six goals and five assists, while Laning had three goals and Drye had three assists.
Zielke noted the back line of junior Caleb White, senior Andrew Lumkes, senior Lewis Reiger and Charles Reiger along with Barr “have come together well recently, limiting opponents to only two total goals conceded (In a recent 5-game stretch),” Zielke said.
Timothy’s defense has registered four shutouts.
Zielke added the central midfield combination of Bechtel and Nulty “have been bright spots in important parts of matches, providing both an offensive and defensive spark when needed,” he said.
Freshman Laning, Zielke noted, is starting to grow into his role with some experience at the varsity level “and has shown moments where he can become a dominant attacking player,” he said.
Timothy Christian is the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class 2A Glenbard South Sectional. The Trojans will host one of four regionals within the sectional.
“This is a very competitive group that has shown a lot of fight,” Zielke said. “We need to find some more consistency offensively over 80 minutes to create more solid scoring opportunities. It should be an exciting second half of the season.”
