Finding the back of the net was not at the forefront of the issues for the W.F. West High School boys soccer team last spring. In just the regular season, they scored multiple goals nine times and had several matches with three-to-four goals.
And with a core of Adrian Jaimes, Uzi Lopez Cruz, Rafa Mendez and Moises Snachez-Hernandez all back in 2025, it wasn’t expected to be a question mark.
In the blink of an eye, the Bearcats were at five total goals in March.
“We haven’t had the goal-scorer mentality,” Jaimes admitted.
The senior captain took matters into his own hands on Tuesday night.
Jaimes scored on a penalty kick, free kick and a laser from outside the 18-yard box for the hat trick to power W.F. West to a 4-1 triumph over arch rival Centralia in Chehalis in an Evergreen Conference contest.
Jaimes unleashed the silencer celebration after the opening goal, a team celebration to go up two goals in the second half and another solo celebration to finish off the three-goal night. It was potentially the final time playing the Tigers on his home field.
“This will be really memorable,” Jaimes said. “I tried to leave everything on the pitch. I’m trying to enjoy it, give it all I can.”
It is the first season the midfielder is donning the captain armband. Anderson has seen Jaimes be a leader even as an underclassmen.
So the pink band with the black ‘C’ fit like a glove for Jaimes.
“He is 1200 percent perfectly suited to be a leader," Bearcats head coach Allen Anderson said. “He falls into that role naturally."
In the 21st minute, Jaimes struck a penalty kick after Uzi Lopez Cruz was fouled inside the box. Up 2-1 with under 20 minutes left in regulation, Jaimes unleashed a low bottom-left rocket of a free kick right through the Tigers’ wall.
He netted a similar free kick in the season-opener versus River Ridge, the only other multi-goal tilt to this point for W.F. West (4-3, 3-0 EvCo).
“We know we have the talent and abilities,” Anderson said. “Tonight wasn’t our best performance of the year, but we found a way to win. It is finally nice to score.”
The Bearcats followed three straight 1-0 setbacks with back-to-back 1-0 victories in the league. Their losses were against higher classification teams that came down to little mistakes.
They got tested again versus Centralia.
Senior goalie Noel Montenegro came away with seven first half saves and alongside an experienced backline, weathered the strom of several chances by the Tigers in the opening 20 minutes.
Centralia (3-4, 0-3) notched eight of its 10 shots on frame by the end of the first half.
“When you’re a nice person, not everyone wants to be nice to you,” Tigers head coach Noel Vazquez said. “When you don’t put it in their goal, they;re going to put it in yours.”
Alex Mathuzima gave W.F. West a 2-0 cushion in the 45th minute. It was cut in half 14 minutes later on a bobble from Montenegro that ended up at the feet of Centralia’s Miles Paige.
The Tigers kept the pressure on, but never found an equalizer.
“I’m trying to figure out what's the best solution for the mistakes we’re making,” Vazquez said. “At the same time, we are getting in front of the goal, we’re just not finishing the plays. We let the other team settle.”
W.F. West now faces a two-week break before facing Class 4A Skyview in the final non-league match of the season. The reigning league champions aren’t shy about the goal of repeating plus five of its next eight contests are at home.
“At the jamboree, everybody was doubting us,” Jaimes said. “We want to show why we won (league) last year and it wasn’t just a fluke.”
Centralia will also take on a 4A opponent in Battle Ground next week before resuming league play. Its margin for error for a playoff spot is shrinking with the hole being dug as a winless EvCo squad.
“There’s always that opportunity for us to turn it around with one game, but we cannot always depend on that,” Vazquez said.
