Kevin Paz (8) had two goals for the Hawks in a 4-1 win at Central.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Triton never trailed in a 4-1 Tri-County Six 3-A Conference varsity boys soccer victory at Harnett Central on Monday.

Benny Villalvazo opened the scoring for the Hawks in the 17th minute with an assist from Julian Serrano.

The Trojans tied the score at 1 as Liam Peebles assisted Daniel Tamayo in the 24th minute.

Triton went ahead to stay in the 38th minute on a goal by Kevin Paz with Arthur Torres assisting.

Paz scored again on a feed from Torres in the 66th minute. Torres got his third assist in the 68th minute with Carson Smith finishing.

“Monday night was a hard-fought game between two close rivals and two teams pretty equally matched in talent,” said Hawks coach Brian Foster. “I felt like we were able to put some pressure on their defense early in the game but struggled to finish in front of goal.

“When we finally scored Benny’s goal it felt like our boys relaxed a little. Central is very strong on set plays and they scored a great goal off of a corner kick to level the game at 1-1.

“Being able to regain a one-goal lead before half was huge. Arthur worked really hard to get himself into a position on a long throw and headed back across the face of goal where Kevin Paz was properly positioned and finished well.

“The second half seemed kind of ragged and it’s always scary having just a one-goal lead against a good team. Once again Arthur’s hard work made the difference and he was able to send a beautiful cross into the box which Kevin settled beautifully. The finish was easy after being able to control the ball so well.

“The last goal was a combination of a well-timed run off of a long ball and a little luck in the bounce but Carson Smith was able to push the ball across the line for what may have been a flattering score line.”

Triton improved to 7-6-2 overall and 3-2 in league play as Christian Delcid contributed five saves.

The Hawks visit Lee County on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Central (2-11, 1-4) travels to Union Pines on Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. start.

Arthur Torres (7) contributed three assists for the Hawks.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Jonny Solis (13) pushes the attack for host Harnett Central.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Keeper Christian Delcid strides into a goal kick for the Hawks.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)