According to first-year Jim Thorpe head soccer coach, Michael Dudak, his squad is not a “first-half team” this season. Dudak said the Olympian boys have scored first in only one or two of his team’s 14 wins this entire season.

Tuesday night’s Schuylkill League semifinal match-up between Jim Thorpe and Williams Valley at Lehighton High School Stadium followed that same pattern.

The Olympians battled back in the final minutes of the game to tie and eventually go on to defeat the Vikings.

“That’s our MO to come out in the second half and do what we need to do,” Dudak said. “We’ve never been a first half team. I think we only won one game this year when we’ve actually scored first.”

Thor Huth, a sophomore, pounded in a rebound off a Chris Williams shot that deflected off the left post to tie things up with just 4:36 left in the second half.

Then, a minute and 28 seconds later, fellow sophomore Alex Putt took a corner kick, collected the ball, and blasted the game-winner past Williams Valley goalkeeper Josh Soliday.

“We’re an extremely young team and a lot of people miss that,” Dudak said. “We graduated 16 players from last season’s team. So to play in a big league game like this, I’m sure nerves play a part.

“The boys played very conservatively tonight, and I still don’t know why. But we’ll talk about that because in this situation, it’s win or go home.”

In the first half, Thorpe held a 15-6 edge in shots on goal, despite trailing 1-0 to the Vikes.

At the 12:48 mark of the first half, Liam Costello headed the first score of the outing past Olympian keeper, Kingsley Ehling.

“There’s a ton of talent on their team,” Dudak said about Williams Valley. “They have been here, in this situation, a bunch. So, for them, it’s a little bit different.

“They have the experience, they know the situation, and they know that any team can beat any team on any given night.”

Following Huth’s tying score, the Olympians challenged again and received a corner kick, which sailed just over several header attempts. However, Putt tackled the pass, gathered control quickly, and found enough daylight to seek out the back of the net for the 2-1 lead with 3:08 remaining on the clock.

“We started out tonight too confident,” Huth said. “I think we thought we could win the game easily, maybe, and we hung our heads after they took the lead and didn’t really go for the ball as much. Then we all kicked it into gear and picked it up and scored the last two.”

With the win, Jim Thorpe is now 14-5 on the year, despite an 0-4 start to the season.

“I think the biggest thing is that we didn’t give up on the system,” Dudak said. “Some of the kids had a hard time with the way we wanted things done, but they didn’t give up on it, they kept at it, and it has started clicking for us. We are also healthy again, after having three players injured early on, so that’s a huge help.”

NO ‘PUTTS’ ABOUT IT ... After an injury sidelined sophomore Alex Putt to start the season, the striker has made his presence felt, including the night’s game-winner. “I think we’re all coming together as a team now, and connecting on the field as friends, as well as teammates,” Putt said.

THE RUBBER MATCH ... Jim Thorpe and Pottsville split their two regular season meetings. They will meet Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Lehighton High School Stadium for the league championship. “They beat us earlier in the season, and we beat them last Thursday,” Dudak said. “It’s going to be all on the table, and it’s come and get it, and that’s what it’s all about.”

BY THE NUMBERS ...Thorpe held an overwhelming advantage in shots, 27-8. Thorpe goalkeeper Kingsley Ehling had five saves.