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5 second-half goals, Timblin hat trick propel Bellefonte past Clearfield in boys soccer

By HENRY HUBER 5 min read

BELLEFONTE - While the game's final score illustrated otherwise, Bellefonte boys soccer was tasked with weathering multiple forms of adversity against Clearfield on Tuesday. A first half that saw it dominate possession netted it zero scores. And ten minutes into the second, it found itself down 2-0 after two quick Bison scores.

It wasn't a situation the team hoped or expected to be in, especially after outshooting Clearfield 21-2 in the first. But the Red Raiders stayed determined and kept firing away, and once that first shot found the back of the net, the rest followed.

Junior midfielder Keegan Timblin got the ball rolling for Bellefonte three minutes after Clearfield's second score, going on to record his first career hat trick to help lead the rally. Sophomore Cole Stabinger assisted on all three scores and logged a goal of his own, as the Red Raiders rallied behind five unanswered goals to blow past Clearfield, 5-2.

"I really just think we wanted it," said Stabinger. "We were down 2-0 knowing we're the better team, so we just went out there and kept playing how we're supposed to play."

"We don't go down at all," emphasized Timblin. "We just stick with it."

In that flipping of the script, Bellefonte displayed a short memory after a tough first half. On top of seeing 21 shots miss their target, they also had to watch as over half of those were batted out by either Clearfield goalkeeper Colby Guiher or its active defensive unit.

While that number indicated an accurate half for the Red Raiders, head coach Scott Martz felt the team spent much of the first period forcing shots, with many coming from deep as Clearfield blocked the path to the box. It wasn't a first-half performance that reflected what the team was capable of, and Martz was sure to let them know that at half.

"I thought we looked very lazy in the first half," said Martz. "We got a lot of shots. We just didn't have quality shots and give credit to their defense for pushing us out."

It took time, but a more patient approach would present better opportunities in the second. And one goal was all it'd take to kick off the rally.

With just over 28 minutes to go in regulation, Stabinger logged his first of three assists on a corner, launching the ball over Clearfield's main wall of defense while keeping it in front of the goal. Timblin was in the perfect position to field it and knocked it into the bottom right corner of the net off Guiher to make it 2-1.

Stabinger would tie it with his lone goal soon after, as the 52 minutes required for Bellefonte's first goal turned into three for the next. A quick change of possession landed the sophomore with the ball, and he'd position himself for a shot slightly to the left from 30 yards out, curving it over Guiher into the top right corner for the game-tying goal.

And the rally kept on rolling. After six minutes of near-misses, including a shot on goal, Bellefonte took its first lead before quickly doubling it - both off goals from Timblin.

The first saw Stabinger slip a pass between multiple defenders to an attacking Timblin, who used a left toe poke to deliver the ball into the bottom left corner of the next. Three minutes later, the junior was securing his first career hat trick on a header off another well-placed corner from Stabinger, putting Bellefonte up 4-2 with under 15 to go.

That made it four goals within the span of 15 minutes, and junior forward Seth Caton added a fifth to officially put it away with three to go. While many would've buckled under a multi-score, second-half lead, Bellefonte's offensive versatility, defensive bounce back and unfazed determination helped it flip the situation in the blink of an eye.

"We've done that a couple times this year, where we got scored on, came back and scored two or three times in two or three minutes," said Martz.

"That's the nice thing about this offense. We don't rely on one or two guys. We have a group of six or seven guys that can drive the ball and score at any given time, and it showed tonight."

Defensively, the Red Raiders held Clearfield scoreless for over 30 minutes after it managed two scores in the first nine minutes of the second. Junior goalkeeper Cam Ripka bounced back from a slow start to the second and finished with seven saves, five of which came in the second half.

The win marked Bellefonte's third win in a row and fifth in six games, as the Red Raiders improved to 9-2 on the season and 8-1 in Laurel Highlands play. It's the fifth time they've score five or more goals in 11 games, and they'll look to carry the momentum forward into a road contest at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-13) on Thursday.

"Everything's just clicking for us right now at the perfect time," said Martz when asked about that recent success. "We have Philipsburg Thursday and Hollidaysburg here Saturday. It's always tough playing three games in a week, so we'll go a bit lighter tomorrow and then get ready for those two games."

"I think we've done great," said Stabinger. "If we just keep going, we've got districts in our future."

Bellefonte 5, Clearfield 2

C - Darshan Patel (unassisted), 41:31. C - Tucker Scott (unassisted), 48.45. B - Keegan Timblin (Cole Stabinger), 51:47. B - Stabinger (unassisted), 56:30. B - Timblin (Stabinger), 62:11. B - Timblin (Stabinger), 65:25. B - Seth Caton (unassisted), 77:18.

Shots: C 14, B 39. Shots on goal: C 9, B 23. Corners: C 3, B 10. Saves: C 17 (Colby Guiher); B 7 (Cam Ripka).

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