AURORA – Marisa VanWyhe and the Indian Creek soccer team were barely off the bus by the time they scored Wednesday in a semifinal of the Class 1A Aurora Central Catholic Regional.
It took the Timberwolves awhile to get on the board again after VanWyhe's early goal, but a flurry of scoring late in the first half gave them a comfortable cushion in a 4-0 win.
"Especially with the storm coming in, we weren't sure how long the game would last," VanWyhe said of the first half, which was played in sporadic rain. "We wanted to get out, get a quick goal and get the intensity rolling."
The Timberwolves advance to face Aurora Central Catholic in the championship game, scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday.
Olivia Muetze finished with a hat trick for the Timberwolves (10-3-2), scoring the last three of the game.
"We just wanted to keep up our aggressiveness and keep connecting those passes," Muetze said. "We just kept opening up then figured out how their defense played. We got around that and got them through."
After VanWyhe connected in the fourth minute, the Timberwolves failed to connect again until the closing minutes of the first half. Muetze started the scoring with 5:26 left, kicking in a high bounce for a 2-0 lead against Rosary (5-13-1).
In the 37th minute, Muetze and VanWyhe converged on the ball along with Rosary goalie Jessica Muckerheide. Muetze got their first and knocked it in.
With 15:43 left in the second half, Muetze complete the hat trick, taking the feed from Katie Cassidy and firing high. It went off Muckerheide's hands and dribbled toward the goal. VanWyhe followed it in but did not make contact.
"Sometimes you get caught up in the moment and you're foot just blares when you don't want it to," VanWyhe said of any possible temptation to knock the ball in. "You just have to relax, take your time and do what you know you have to."
The Timberwolves are now set for a rematch against the Chargers. The teams met May 2, with ACC winning 4-0.
"I think we kind of watched the ball too much," IC coach Scott McClure said. "We just have to keep up our intensity, be hungry for the ball, and win those 50-50 balls."
By the numbers: Muetze and Johnson had assists for the Timberwolves, while goalie Skyler Kaelin had four saves.
Beyond the stats: VanWyhe and Muetze had most of the scoring chances for the Timberwolves. Madison Twitty had a chance to score the second IC goal, but her shot just hit the outside of the net in the 30th minute.
They said it: "We did a good job possessing the ball and making those rushes where we could get some scoring opportunities," McClure said. "It's always a nice feeling when you get that first goal. It can sometimes deflate the other team. At the same time it can catch you off guard and make you think you have a good handle on the game and back off. They can score a quick one back."