The pouring rain was no match for Centralia Tigers sophomore forward Johnny Ruiz, who earned his first two varsity goals in a 2-0 victory against Mark Morris Saturday afternoon.
Ruiz’s career day started Saturday morning with a goal in the Tigers’ junior varsity game, and his brace against the Monarchs at the varsity level gave him a hat-trick.
“It was the stability of the team and how we moved the ball around,” Ruiz said of the root of his success.
The sophomore’s kicks came at a clutch time for the Tigers as they struggled to find the back of the net for the first 59 minutes. Centralia created a handful of looks in the attacking third but couldn’t convert until Ruiz’s 60th-minute line drive off of an assist by Gabriel Cruz to break the scoreless tie.
He connected again just five minutes later off of an Adin Stratton throw in, kicking a slow dribbler that snuck past the Monarchs’ goalie and into the right corner of the net to put the Tigers up 2-0.
“We were just not very good on the final third inside the 18, and Johnny came in very energized. He had already scored, so I had a feeling that he was going to be feeling very comfortable once he got on the varsity side of things,” Centralia head coach Noel Vasquez said. “I think this was a good game for him to showcase that he has what it takes to play full-time with us.”
Centralia’s defense was outstanding despite switching keepers in the second half. Mark Morris logged just six shots, with five on target. Alejandro Arevalo and Kycen Donahue notched three and two saves, respectively. The Tigers kicked 22 shots with 14 on target.
“Alejandro and Kycen both did a really good job just staying composed. When you don’t have a lot of action and you’re standing inside the 18 with this type of weather, it can be a little cold,” Vasquez said. “But the couple of times that they were required to come out and do something, they did a good job of stepping up to the challenge. I’m really happy for all the guys’ performances today, regardless of the weather.”
Centralia (2-0) will hit the road for the first time this season when it takes on Yelm at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Tigers’ non-conference slate concludes with a road match against Lindbergh at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
