No time off a good thing for Timberlane field hockey

A year ago, the Timberlane Regional High School field hockey team appeared to be in great shape for a postseason run.

The Owls went 12-1-1 during the Division I regular season, tied with Winnacunnet for first place in the standings, and ended up with the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

But getting that top four seed also meant getting a bye into the quarterfinals, and the week off that came with it. That postseason run never materialized, as Timberlane was upset 1-0 in the second round by Londonderry.

This year, the Owls are the sixth seed, the highest they could have been in the standings without getting a bye, and that was all right for coach Mim Ryan. No. 6 Timberlane defeated No. 2 Manchester Central 3-2 in the semifinals and will face top-seeded Winnacunnet in the championship Sunday at 5 p.m. at Bedford High School.

"We do not do well with having time off," she said. "When there was a chance that we might have been able to get the four seed, I told them, I wouldn't be upset with sixth. The way the brackets were, having a week off would have been terrible."

Twice this season, the Owls had six or more days in between games, and lost both times, including a 2-0 loss to Concord in the regular-season finale.

Timberlane got that one back in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over the No. 3 Crimson Tide on a play that has become a staple of the Owls' offense.

The lone goal came when Taryn Mackinnon found Sarah Padellaro behind the Concord defense and connected on a long pass down the field. Timberlane did it again in Tuesday's semifinal win over Manchester Central to tie the game 2-2 right before halftime.

"Sarah got in behind the defense, went in on the goalie, and she stopped the initial shot, and then just got the rebound in off her pads," Ryan said. "This one was a little bit different, but we were able to sneak her behind."

And after losing three of four to end the regular season, Ryan feels the team has learned from some close losses during the year - Timberlane was 2-4 in one-goal games - to put it all together at the right time.

"When we played Central during the season, we lost 1-0, and it was a game that I felt we gave away," she said. "We had quite a few of those during the season. I think we’re peaking at the right time. We’re flying under the radar, and just show up and see what happens."