The Timothy Christian boys soccer team picked up some immediate championship hardware.
The Trojans opened the season by going 3-0 and winning the Raider invitational hosted by Glenbard South.
Timothy downed host Glenbard South 3-1, defeated Wheaton St. Francis 2-1 and scored a 3-1 win against Wheaton North.
Junior Caleb Bechtel led the offense, scoring five goals and adding two assists in the three matches. Seniors Zach Baker, Dylan Drye and Andrew Lumkes each added a goal and an assist. Freshman Wilder Laning and senior Andrew Nulty also had assists in the tournament.
In other recent action, Timothy lost 1-0 to Geneva in non-conference action and dropped a 2-0 non-conference game to Waukegan.
Timothy went 16-7-1 last season, took second in the Chicagoland Christian Conference with a 6-1 mark and advanced to a Class 2A sectional final, losing to eventual state-champion Chicago De La Salle.
Coach Joel Zielke has 12 players back, including eight starters. Lumkes, a forward, is the team’s top returning goal scorer after recording 16 goals last season. Baker, a senior center-mid, had nine goals and 13 assists, while Bechtel, a junior center-mid, had five goals and eight assists.
“Caleb is an explosive midfielder with great vision and the ability to be very dangerous around the goal,” Zielke said. “Andrew led our team in goals last year as a junior with 16 in 19 matches. He is a very clinical finisher.”
Senior defenders Charles (2 goals, 1 assist) and Lewis (2 goals, 1 assist) Rieger, along with junior winger/defender Owen Hoving (10 goals, 1 assist) and junior defender Travis Huiner, along with senior goalie Dylan Barr (7 shutouts in 2025) will anchor the defense and look to keep the Trojans organized on the back end, Zielke noted.
Nulty, a senior defensive-mid, had one goal and one assist last year, while Drye, a senior forward, had nine goals and six assists a year ago. Senior midfielder Cole Younglove (1 goal, 7 assists) also is back. Laning, a freshman winger, is another key newcomer along with Huiner.
Baker was an all-sectional pick last year, while Baker and Lumkes earned all-CCC designations.
“Size, speed and experience will be strengths,” Zielke said. “We have a group of nine seniors that have been very successful the last three seasons at every level. We have had a strong preseason as a group of competitors that challenge each other daily. This is a very tight group that is willing to sacrifice for one another. I expect they will welcome every challenge given to them this season.”
Offensively, Zielke said the Timothy midfield will be a strength “with some dynamic playmakers and speed on the wings,” he noted. “Zach Baker and Andrew Nulty are strong, experienced holding midfielders. They will help us build our attack and control the tempo.”
Zielke also is excited about a returning core group of defenders and two goalies (Barr and junior Joe Buikema). “That always makes things a little easier to start the season,” said Zielke of the experience in the back. “This is a group that secured seven shutouts last season and should be able to build on that experience.”
Zielke, who has Timothy playing another challenging non-conference slate, noted Northridge Prep has joined the Chicagoland Christian Conference, while Chicago Christian won a regional last year and continues to get better each year, he said. Chicago Hope won a Class 1A sectional title, while both Timothy and Wheaton Academy played in the Class 2A sectional finals.
“I expect it to come down to Wheaton Academy and us to battle it out for the conference title again this season,” he said.
Timothy is looking for its third league title in four years.
The Trojans play at Hinsdale South tonight, Sept. 10, in another non-conference game and welcome Lemont to the Timothy stadium Saturday, Sept. 12, for a 1:45 p.m. start.
