Joshua Yaro recorded a hat trick, leading the Cate boys soccer team to a 5-0 romp over visiting Orcutt Academy in a CIF Division 6 first-round playoff game on Friday.
It was Cate’s debut in Division 6 after winning back-to-back Division 7 titles.
Yaro scored his first goal in the fifth minute off a long throw-in from Matthew Firestone. Yaro headed the ball past the goalkeeper at the far post.
Abraham Tall got his head on another long throw from Firestone and gave Cate a 2-0 lead in the 27th minute.
Seven minutes later, Abhay Singh pushed a beautiful pass through the Orcutt defense that freshman Joel Serugo collected on the run and placed past the goalkeeper.
The Rams (13-2-2) kept the pressure on in the second half. An Orcutt hand-ball in its penalty box resulted in a penalty-kick goal by Yaro three minutes into the half.
In the 50th minute, Tyler Douglas nodded a bouncing ball through the Orcutt defense to an on-rushing Yaro, who beat a defender and then the keeper to complete his hat trick.
“We played a very good game from front to back,” said Cate coach Peter Mack. “Yaro and freshman keeper Keller Mochel closed out the few chances Orcutt had, and the rest of the team showed patience and sound judgment in how we attacked.”
