Everyone was opening up and creating space for each other. We were running into that space and that helped us with our passing.”

Fernando Diaz

ROCHELLE — Senior midfielder Fernando Diaz scored two goals for the second consecutive match on Monday evening, when the Rochelle Hub varsity soccer team faced Johnsburg.

Diaz found the net once in each half, cashing in two assists from junior forward Antonio Ruiz to lead the Hubs over the Skyhawks 3-0. The match was largely controlled by the Hubs (3-3-1, 0-0 Interstate 8), who possessed the ball for a large portion of the opening half. Junior goalkeeper Antonio Hueramo recorded five saves and the shutout to lead the Rochelle defense in the win.

“The communication between me and my teammates… I was making runs for them and they were setting me up, which made it easier for me to score,” Diaz said. “Everyone was opening up and creating space for each other. We were running into that space and that helped us with our passing. We’ve been working a lot in practice on holding possession and that was helpful too.”

Rochelle kept the ball away from Johnsburg for most of the first half, slowly but methodically moving the ball from side to side and pushing the ball wide to set up scoring chances in the middle. The Hubs capitalized on their tactics during the 14th minute, when senior midfielder Bryan Garcia crossed the ball to junior forward Kevin Orozco, who tapped a right-footed ball into the back of the Johnsburg net. A starting defender over the last two years, Garcia has moved into the midfield, where he’s elevating his role on and off the soccer field as a team captain.

“We’ve been working on our communication and our spacing,” Garcia said. “It felt good to bring home a win for our fans. We took the ball out wide and our wide players were a factor in this win… I’m hoping to take control of our team and make sure everyone’s calm and in check. My teammates and I have grown over the last four years and our chemistry is really strong.”

The Hubs took a 2-0 lead over the Skyhawks during the 26th minute, when another cross into the Johnsburg box, this time from Ruiz, found the foot of the senior midfielder Diaz, who drilled the pass into the net. Rochelle sealed its victory with a third and final goal during the 59th minute, when a long pass from Ruiz led to Diaz winning a one-on-one matchup and rolling a right-footed shot through the arms of the Johnsburg goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Rochelle will open Interstate 8 Conference play with a home match against Sycamore on Wednesday evening. The Hubs will then face DeKalb on the road Saturday afternoon.