Timlin’s late goal gives Bentworth redemption, outright section title
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Bentworth’s Jocelyn Timlin outruns Chartiers-Houston’s Hanna Seige and Alyssa Wright for control for the ball during a Section 2-A game at Chartiers-Houston High School Wednesday night.
Bentworth’s Lindsay Davis,front, and Chartiers-Houston’s Keely Acor look to control the ball during a Wednesday’s Section 2-A game at Chartiers-Houston High School.
Celeste Van Kirk/ Observer-Reporter
Observer-Reporter
Bentworth’s Jocelyn Timliln (21) scored 157 goals and had 66 assists in her high school career.
Bentworth’s Jocelyn Timlin fights for the ball with Chartiers-Houston’s Olivia Boardley during a game at Chartiers-Houston High School field on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018.
HOUSTON – Almost a year ago to the date, the Bentworth girls soccer team lost to host Chartiers-Houston, 1-0, and their bid for a second straight section title was denied.
Fast-forward to a rainy, humid Wednesday night and again the section title was on the line for Bentworth in a game at Chartiers-Houston.
The Bearcats exorcised their demons from last year as Jocelyn Timlin tallied the game-winning goal with 16:32 left in the second half, helping the visitors prevail, 3-2.
Timlin was the key cog to the Bentworth’s rally as she tallied a pair of goals to increase her school-record total to 92.
“Last year we lost the section title here with a tough loss,” Timlin said. “I didn’t want to have that happen again. We were a little nervous before the game, but it was that good nervousness. It feels amazing to win the section title on this field. They are our biggest rivals, so this feels good.”
The win gave the Bearcats (11-0, 13-1) the Section 2-A title outright and its their second section championship in the last three years and just the program’s third overall.
Bentworth coach Tyler Hamstra also registered his school-record 61st win with the Bearcats in only his fifth year.
“It was a gutsy win in a very physical match,” Hamstra said. “We lost the section title here last year and it was just one of those frustrating games. We outshot them by like 30 shots, but their keeper was on her toes and made a lot of saves. I have seen a lot of Bentworth teams, both boys and girls, over the last 15 years come here and lose games. It’s tough to play here.”
The Bucs (8-3, 9-7) are in second place in the section.
“I’m just so proud of our girls,” C-H coach John Liebold said. “This team just doesn’t quit and that’s been the story of our season. We couldn’t let them possess the ball and dictate the tempo. We had a good halftime talk and we just stuck with it on offense.”
C-H’s Ashley Horvath had two quality scoring chances in the opening 20 seconds of the contest, but Bentworth’s Candalaria Kossel stymied both shots.
“She’s the best keeper in Single-A,” Hamstra said of Kossel. “She knows how to react to those early chances. We were able to keep them in front of us and really just took away their space in our end. But if they get that early goal, that could have definitely changed the game.”
Kossel had her school-record 51st win for the Bearcats with four saves.
After the teams traded scoring opportunities, the Bearcats were able to put one in the net when Rori Schreiber took a pass from Timlin and delivered a hard shot to the left of the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead at the 29:08 mark of the first half.
Bentworth suffered three injuries over the rest of the half that forced the clock to be stopped, but the visitors still carried a 1-0 lead into intermission.
The Bearcats increased their lead to 2-0 just eight minutes into the second half when Paige Marshalek found Timlin open in the middle of the offensive zone and the junior forward was able to get a leg on it sandwiched between a C-H defender and the goalkeeper.
In a matter of two minutes, the Bucs found their offensive touch and knotted things up with two goals.
Alyssa Daughterty broke the ice for C-H with a goal at 22:43, the assist going to Lexie Dzadovsky. With 20:31 left in the second, the home team made it 2-2 with a marker by Desiree Hancq. Ashley Horvath assisted on the goal.
“Bentworth’s midfield is very tough and we just couldn’t break through their defense,” Liebold said. “The bounces finally went our way and we got some goals. We are young, we started four freshman tonight. They didn’t get rattled on the big stage.”
But just as C-H’shad the momentum, Timlin was able to make something out of nothing, corralling a loose ball in front of the keeper and launched what proved to be the game-winning goal at the 16:32 mark. The assist went to Marshalek.
Neither team could gather consistent possession in the final 15 minutes as Bentworth held onto the victory and grabbed sole possession of the section title.
“Most of my goals are gritty,” Timlin said. “I just work in front of the net and look for those rebounds or deflections. I try to use my speed and my technical skills to work around those defenders. You can’t get frustrated when defenders mark you, you just have to work for it.”
Kasey Scears made five saves for the Bucs.
“We are just more of a veteran group than last year’s team,” Hamstra said. “I don’t know what we would have done last year if we lost a 2-0 lead. This group never backed down and showed their resolve on the field. I love the determination our girls showed tonight.”