Senior Chris Aguilar battles for the ball.
The Timber Creek boys soccer team had to enter the state playoffs with a sense of urgency.
“We’ve got to play like there is no tomorrow and in the state playoffs, there isn’t,” Timber Creek Coach Ibrahim Chehab said after winning a third straight district title in late January.
A goal in overtime in the first round of the state playoffs against Lake Howell ended Timber Creek’s streak on Jan. 31.
The 1-1 tie at the end of regulation forced a 10-minute overtime period. Senior Chris Aguilar had scored early for the Wolves and Lake Howell had answered with a score off a corner kick late in the first half.
Six minutes into the overtime period, the Wolves’ goalie Tyler Richards made a save deep in the box and a Lake Howell player collided with him. The referee ruled that the ball had broken the plane of the goal and Lake Howell had a 2-1 overtime win to advance in the playoffs.
“It was a very controversial ending,” Chehab said. “As we shook hands, the Lake Howell coach said ‘I do not see how that was a goal.’ He also told that to our goalie.”
At first, Chehab thought the referee’s whistle was due to the collision
between Richard and a Lake Howell player in the box. Then he saw the referee point to the center circle and knew the game was over.
Chehab described it as a difficult game, but he also said his team had not taken advantage of some quality scoring chances.
“In soccer, sometimes that happens,” he said. “You just don’t hit on your chances. Both teams fought real hard.”
Despite the difficult loss, the Timber Creek Wolves did earn their third consecutive district trophy on Friday, Jan. 27, with a 3-2 win over Winter Park High School.
Chehab said stability has been a key to Timber Creek’s success. The players have had the same coach, the same system and the same message during the three-year run: preparation.
“Winning the district title starts on day-one of the season,” Chehab said. “We have to be motivated every game. To win the top seed, every game counts.”
Besides being prepared, the players have had it drilled into their heads that everyone on the team is equally important. That is not always an easy concept to teach in our world of sports celebrities.
“I am more concerned about the guys that don’t play a lot than the ones that do. They come to practice every day and they need to push every starter in practice,” Chehab said.
Although everyone is valued, there are a few stand out players. Assistant Coach Clay Phillips described senior Austin Stirtz as the glue that holds the Wolves’ defense together.
“He is steadfast,” Phillips said.
Stirtz said he enjoys the defensive side but also likes the opportunity to score.
“I think we are pretty solid on defense,” Stirtz said.
Chehab puts the utmost importance on a team’s defense.
In Sierra Leone, West Africa kids played soccer in fields that doubled as streets. Stones and sticks made up their goals. This is where Chehab learned how to play soccer and he earned his playing time as a defender and midfielder.
“My philosophy is that we should win most games 1-0 or 2-1,” he said. “We should not score 4 and give up 3 or score 4 and give up 5.”
Goalie Tyler Richards has also been a defensive stalwart for the Wolves. In each of the three district tournament games, the sophomore keeper stopped a penalty kick.
“He has been outstanding,” Chehab said. “If he doesn’t stop those penalty kicks, I don’t know where we would be.”
Although their push is over this year, Chehab will be working to keep the group motivated. He described soccer as 40 to 50 percent skill and 50 to 60 percent passion.
“Against Winter Park, we were the better team,” he said. “But give them credit. They closed the gap by being more aggressive. They wanted it so much. My job is to not let our opponents beat us by having more passion.”
You can count on the passion from the streets of Sierra Leone being part of the Timber Creek Wolves as long as Coach Chehab is using soccer to teach Timber Creek players life lessons.