The Timberline boys soccer team, the 10th seed in the District 3 3A Tournament, triumphed in an upset victory over No. 7 White River 3-1 in the first round Saturday afternoon.
White River opened the scoring with a ninth-minute goal before Blazers senior Mike Navarrete converted on a penalty kick in the 25th minute to tie the game.
Neither team scored for the next 37 minutes of game time. That was until junior Arilson Limo Filho stole an errant pass near the Hornets box and kicked the ball into the right side of the net for the go-ahead goal.
Senior Malik Alawi added an insurance goal in the 78th minute on a 19-yard free kick into the right side of the net.
"After conceding an early goal off of a set piece, I was very proud of how the guys responded. I feel like the guys knew they were controlling the possession," Timberline head coach Mark Towers said. "Overall, the guys are taking heart to [the statement] 'Count on me.' Each player that steps on the field has each other's back, and each player knows they can count on each other to complete the task at hand."
Timberline (9-6-2) advances to the quarterfinals to play No. 2 Gig Harbor Tuesday at Mount Tahoma High School with a chance to clinch a state bid for the first time since 1991.
