It’s their first year in Class 5A, but contending for a playoff spot is no surprise for Timber Creek’s girls soccer team.
Entering the week in third place in District 4-5A, the Lady Falcons moved up from 4A, where they have competed in the playoffs every year of their varsity program’s young history.“Coming into 5A, we expected to make transitions,” said Timber Creek head coach Mike King. “I’ve been coaching in 4A for 17 years, so coming into 5A was a big unknown.”Stepping up to the larger division wasn’t without a reality check, though.“I knew we’d face much deeper teams,” King said.But the fact that the Lady Falcons are fending off their new district opponents with just a 15-girl roster says something of the talent Timber Creek has been able to cultivate.Senior left midfielder Caylin Gil has been a key ingredient for the team that finally has a senior class that has played all four years at Timber Creek.“We have a good mentality while we’re playing,” Gil said. “We want to prepare ourselves to be in a good spot for the playoffs. We may even end up in second place.”The Lady Falcons aren’t content with their third place position and a playoff ticket. They know seedings can help send a team deeper into the playoffs.The last two seasons ended in the second round and last year, they were bounced in an overtime loss.“We’re sitting in third place,” King said, “but we can win four or five of our last five games,” he said. “I’m very pleased with the team and the girls are very focused.”Timber Creek knocked off Central 4-0 on Friday, pushing the Lady Chargers into a struggle for the fourth-place spot.“An eight-point lead can be cut to two points in just three games,” King said.A young team can still be overwhelmed with the transitions to a new, larger division, but King feels his team is poised to stay competitive.Even the senior Gil knows the young team still needs to stay focused, and she and the other seniors can lend leadership.“Since being with Coach King (since her freshman year), it means a lot more to instill the mentality in the younger players to keep pushing no matter how strong or big they are,” Gil said. “You’ll do well if you just keep pushing. There is a little pressure to keep performing with little depth,” she said.King noted the leading scorer is just a junior, Cat Sebazco.And the biggest games may still be ahead for the Falcons. They have key matchups with Richland and Northwest, but the finale with Keller on March 19 seems to be circled on the Lady Falcons’ calendar.“Heck yeah, it’s a big rivalry opportunity,” King said. “I’ve been talking about that since Day 1.”King is not hesitant to set a benchmark for this young team.“I’ve told them the day is coming,” King said of the opportunity to take on the big kid in the district. “And the girls love it.”Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
