Life at the top of the Evergreen Conference standings for the Tigers is far from easy and they got every bit of pressure from the Wolves, but hung on for a 3-2 triumph to stay in first place on Tuesday night.
Midfielder Gabriel Cruz assisted on Jacob Silva’s goal in the 35th minute to put Centralia (9-3, 5-1 EvCo) in front heading into halftime. It’s the 14th assist of the season for Cruz, one away from being the single-season assist record holder.
“We’re looking forward to him making history,” Tigers head coach Noel Vazquez said. “Our playmaking comes through him and is crucial to feeding the ball up top.”
It was a chaotic second half that featured four total goals. Centralia’s Damian Corona made it 2-0 on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, only for Black Hills’ Josiah Knight to make it a one-goal game again three minutes later.
Corona assisted Edurado Ruiz’s first goal of the season in the 72nd minute and despite an own goal in the 75th, the Tigers held on for the win. They will head to Chehalis on Friday to take on W.F. West and attempt to keep The Chronicle Cup.
“We’re looking to put on a show for a rivalry game,” Vazquez said. “You can’t ask for much more than that.”
Black Hills will also have its own inner-county rival Tumwater up next on the schedule, slated for Thursday night.
