This Tuesday night, the Timpview Thunderbirds girls soccer team won their away game against the Salem Hills Skyhawks 2-1, making their record 7-1 so far this season.

The first half opened slowly for the T-birds. Missed opportunities on offense and lapses on defense allowed the Skyhawks to strike early. However, by halftime Timpview and Salem Hills were stalled 1-1, forcing both teams to adjust their game plans in the second half. The second half started off slow as well, the score remaining 1-1 until the last ten minutes of the game. As time was ticking down Lulu Atuaia made a last second push towards the opponents goal. With a masterful shot, she managed to get it past the keeper to ice the game and clinch the win.

Throughout the game on the offensive side of the ball, junior wing Jayne Magleby was electric, setting up countless opportunities and putting her teammates in better positions. Although admitting it wasn’t their best game, there were encouraging things Jayne had to say about the T-birds. “One thing that helped us, is our opening game circle. We lay out goals and other things we want to strive towards throughout the game, and it has become one of my favorite parts of this team.” said Jane. 

Defensively, the Thunderbirds showed grit. They were led by sophomore Klancee Cloward and junior Kylie Pestana, who made several key plays late in the match. Klancee complimented their work, saying, “We had really effective communication especially considering our aggressive defensive style, so that all gaps were filled to limit advantages given to the team.”

With this win, the Thunderbirds proved they have the pieces to compete at a high level this season. In future games we look forward to and encourage a student section in order to help cheer on these incredible girls. Their balance of strong defense and creative attacking play could make them a dangerous team in region play moving forward, and it wouldn’t be a shocking sight to see this team battle for a state championship.