Moving on up: Timpanogos girls soccer continues to shine in win over Orem
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- Timpanogos players celebrate with senior Mindy Montague after she scored a goal during the Region 8 game against Orem at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos senior Adele Faller (6) and Orem senior Brooklyn Bradley battle for the ball during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos junior Malia Jessop (left) and Orem junior Mylie Louder battle for the ball during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos and Orem players battle for the ball during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos junior Haley Hutchins heads the ball during the Region 8 game against Orem at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos and Orem players battle for the ball during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Orem senior Ava de St. Jour kicks the ball during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos senior Mary Roberts shoots a shot during the Region 8 game against Orem at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Orem senior keeper Brooklynn Alkire makes a save during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Timpanogos senior keeper Emma McIff kicks the ball during the Region 8 game against Orem at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
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- Orem senior Brooklyn Bradley tries to outrun Timpanogos sophomore Raeley Searle during the Region 8 game at Timpanogos on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.
Watch out, Class 4A … the Timpanogos girls soccer team is on the prowl.
Yes, the Timberwolves have had some rough patches during the 2023 season but with the regular season winding down they are coming on strong.
Orem found that out Tuesday night on Senior Night at Timpanogos as the Timberwolves peppered the Tiger goal with unrelenting pressure, firing shot after shot.
Thanks to some tremendous saves from Orem senior keeper Brooklynn Alkire, the visitors stayed close enough to be dangerous.
But in the end, Timpanogos senior Mindy Montague’s header off a corner kick from senior Mary Roberts in the 29th minute proved to be enough to give the Timberwolves the 1-0 win.
“We’ve been working a lot on possession and switching the field,” Timpanogos head coach Robin Bretzing said. “I thought we did a good job with that controlling the game at our tempo and keeping the ball moving. We just are not finishing on opportunities. We had many opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net tonight and created great scoring opportunities. We’re going to figure that piece out and we’re going to score a lot of goals.”
Bretzing said that Roberts has demonstrated the ability to be dangerous on those set pieces throughout the season and it was a fitting senior-to-senior connection for the game-winner.
“She’s got a beautiful corner kick,”Mindy, who’s our senior, came into the game as a substitute and put that ball with her head in the back of the net. It was what we needed at the moment that kind of sparked us and gave us a lot of momentum to finish out the first half.”
While Timpanogos would’ve loved to put a lot more points on the board, the reality was that the Timberwolf defense only needed the one. It kept the Orem offense in check throughout the night.
“Our defense this season has been our strong point,” Bretzing said. “We’ve shut teams out and we haven’t given up a lot of goals this season. I’m really proud. The defense played very composed, very calm and helped us as the beginning of creating opportunities for the offense.”
Timpanogos may still have things to work on but Bretzing feels like the Timberwolves are getting the pieces to fall into place with the playoffs right around the corner.
“I feel like we’re really coming together as a team,” Bretzing said. “They’re starting to create an atmosphere in the team where they know they can win, they know they want to win. Now we’re just trying to complete the final piece, which is that finishing.
“I think as a team, we’re coming in and we’re looking forward to the postseason, because I think part of the thing is you’ve got to peak at the right time. I’ve been watching the last couple of games and I think our girls are going to peak at the right time coming into postseason.”
She believes the key will be seeing her team just settle down and be strong in the attack.
“I think it’s just confidence in front of goal,” Bretzing said. “We have no seniors on our top line. Every single girl we’re starting at the top line is a junior, so I think they’re just getting that confidence. We’re just trying to create that mentality in them to know to just to keep shooting.”
Timpanogos (11-3) will close out the regular season when it hosts Provo in a rescheduled game on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
