STERLING — Tuesday’s IHSA Class 2A Regional Semifinal against Sterling began the same way as many regular season games had for the Rochelle varsity boys soccer team this year.

Scoring the first goal has allowed the Hubs to jump on many of their opponents, and the Golden Warriors were no different. Sophomore Brayan Orozco recorded the first of his two goals in the eighth minute, and the Rochelle offense took the ball from there, adding five more goals to beat Sterling 6-0 and advance to the regional title game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The second-seeded Hubs (18-0-1) will face either sixth-seeded Sycamore in the championship game. The Rochelle boys are seeking their first regional championship since 2012.

“Our teamwork has helped us the most,” senior Adolfo Flores said. “We work so hard on passing the ball and getting the ball out wide to our wing players. That’s the main reason why we’ve been able to score so much. We’ve been getting the ball to Jessee [Infante] and our wing players a lot.”

The Hubs topped Sterling twice by a combined score of 14-1 during the regular season, and the Golden Warriors didn’t have the third-time luck charm on Tuesday. Senior Juan Montemayor assisted senior Jessee Infante’s first goal in the 13^th minute before freshman Josue Orozco recorded an unassisted goal in the 21^st minute to put Rochelle ahead 3-0.

Infante connected with Brayan Orozco on his second goal during the 28^th minute, and junior Austin Brown gave the Hubs a 5-0 advantage at halftime with a goal around the 37^th minute. Meanwhile, the Rochelle defense kept Sterling away from the net all evening, holding the Golden Warriors to just three shots on goal in the game.

“We always put our heads together in practice and we work really hard on our defense,” sophomore Damian Salinas said. “We try not to get too cocky. We try to win the ball when it’s coming through the air, and we’re good when we win the ball.”

Sophomore Juan Cincire assisted Infante’s second goal during the 68^th minute for Rochelle’s lone score in the second half. Senior Mason DeLille finished the game with three saves in net for the Hubs, who are looking to make more history with a regional title after winning their first conference championship since 2004 this past week.

“Winning the regional would mean a lot,” Salinas said. “It would mean a lot to the team, especially Jessee and all of our seniors.”

“It would be huge for us if we can win the regional,” Flores added. “I think it would be a huge step for Rochelle and I’m hoping that we can go all the way.”