Hubs head coach Brad Male hasn’t seen the Rochelle varsity boys soccer team play this well to start a season at any point in his tenure with the program.
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LASALLE — Hubs head coach Brad Male hasn’t seen the Rochelle varsity boys soccer team play this well to start a season at any point in his tenure with the program.
Sixteen goals and two victories into conference play, the Hubs have yet to face any legitimate competition this season. After crushing Ottawa this past Thursday, Rochelle traveled to LaSalle-Peru and dominated the Cavaliers on Tuesday, winning 8-0 to improve to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Northern Illinois Big 12 West.
“These guys have been together for a long time and they pretty much play the game year-round,” Male said. “They look for each other to make things happen on the field which is good for us offensively. I also think we’re strong defensively, and we’re able to make things happen back there as well.”
Three players scored twice on Thursday including freshman Josue Orozco, sophomore Brayan Orozco and senior Jessee Infante, who added three assists in the victory. Sophomore Zane Walters and senior Juan Montemayor also scored, with Brayan Orozco, senior Adolfo Flores and Montemayor earning assists.
After earning All-Conference First Team honors last season, Infante has continued being the catalyst for Rochelle’s offense. The senior leads the team in both goals and assists, and his leadership carries down to his younger teammates.
“He’s a strong player and he’s somebody I’ve looked to over the last couple of seasons,” Male said. “He’s been our captain and he’s just a tremendous asset to have on the field. He can score, but he’s also capable of dishing the ball and getting assists.”
Rochelle has surrendered just two goals this season, and no opponent has scored more than one goal in any game against the Hubs. Senior goalie Mason DeLille has five shutouts in net, and Male said the senior leadership behind All-Conference First Team player Josue Almaraz on defense is giving opposing teams more than plenty to deal with.
“We cover for each other and our communication on the back line is getting better,” Male said. “We have a lot of speed back there with Josue, and he’s able to get back and keep a lot of balls away from Mason.”
Rochelle will host Geneseo on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
