Worthington — It took 40 minutes for Thomas Worthington’s offense to find its rhythm on Saturday afternoon. Visiting Dublin Coffman landed the first blow, controlling the pace of play in the opening half and striking in the seventh minute on a goal from Justin Killworth.
Thomas Worthington found themselves on their heels in the first half, losing battles across the field against Coffman’s aggressive, high-pressure approach.
“A lot of our struggle came from Coffman’s pressure, they deserve credit for it,” Thomas Worthington Head Coach Matt Kovach said. “It took us time to get up to the speed of play and it caused technical breakdowns.”
Out of halftime, Thomas Worthington wasted no time flipping the script. Just three minutes into the second half, Ashton Hoke buried the equalizer, knotting the match at 1-1 and swinging the momentum to the Cardinals.
After 20 minutes of tense back-and-forth, the breakthrough came. Mateo Garcia buried a shot into the right corner, handing Thomas Worthington a 2-1 lead with just 14 minutes to play.
But the Cardinals’ lead was short-lived. Off the ensuing kickoff, Dublin Coffman’s Christian Flores Lopez answered in less than 45 seconds, slotting home the equalizer to make it 2-2 and reset the match once again.
Still, the Cardinals were playing up to their capabilities and Kovach says it is a challenge presented to them at half by the coaching staff.
“We challenged them to play up to their capability,” Kovach said. “It was about playing with more passion and heart and really doing it together. That is the culture we want to build.”
Even after a second Mateo Garcia goal was wiped away for offsides, the Cardinals kept pressing forward, dictating possession and forcing Dublin Coffman to weather away constant pressure.
Finally, with just five minutes remaining, Elias Huh slipped past the Shamrocks’ defense and calmly buried the game-winner. His strike sealed a 3-2 victory for Thomas Worthington, marking their second comeback win of the season.
Saturday’s rally marks their second comeback win of the season, with the first coming against Canal Winchester in the season opener. The Cardinals trailed 1-0 at the half in that one, then scored twice in the second half to win 2-1 against the Indians.
The Cardinals return to their challenging OCC schedule on Tuesday, facing Olentangy Berlin in a division stacked with teams like Dublin Jerome and Hilliard Darby. Kovach believes Thomas Worthington can be a dark horse in the gauntlet.
“We have the capability to compete in our division, which is one of the toughest in Central Ohio,” Kovach said. “If we play our brand of soccer consistently for 80 minutes, we can surprise some people and make moves.”
Thomas Worthington (5-1-2, 0-0-1) hosts Olentangy Berlin on Tuesday, Dublin Coffman (2-6-1, 0-1) travel to Olentangy Orange on Tuesday.
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