Alexis Castillo-Corona detonated for a hat trick and Rochester boys soccer reeled off its third-straight victory in a 3-0 road win over Black Hills in 2A Evergreen Conference play Thursday.
“We’re on a good roll right now,” Rochester coach Matt Ashton said. “Things are clicking. We’re able to possess the ball and move the ball better as a team downfield. We’ve moved some players around to new positions, and it’s working.”
Castillo-Corona scored once in the first-half, in the 15th minute off an assist from Eduardo Francisco, to put the Warriors up 1-0 at the half.
He made it 2-0 in the 47th minute off a free kick, then notched the hat trick in the 77th minute off a penalty kick to close out scoring for both sides.
Ashton said Castillo-Corona — the league’s reigning offensive MVP — has finally started to turn it on after a slow start to the season goal-wise.
“It’s taken him a few games to find his rhythm,” Ashton said. “Now he has goals in each of the last three games.”
And while his goal-scoring has provided an offensive spark, the Warriors’ defensive line and mid have been locking down opposing offenses.
“The defensive line was strong tonight,” Ashton said. “They’ve really held up and are playing lights out right now.”
Ashton said the key to the team keeping its win streak going will be maintaining its intensity, no matter how the match is going.
“We need to be able to keep focus and not let down,” Ashton said. “Everyone’s excited because we’re winning games and leading, but we’ve got to keep the momentum.”
Rochester (5-7, 3-4 EvCo) hosts league rival W.F. West on Tuesday.
