EAST CHICAGO | Gonzalo Romo came to Monday night's sectional opener ready to play.
The Bishop Noll senior forward scored two goals and assisted on two more in the first half as the Warriors went on to beat over-matched Washington Twp. 7-0 in the Class A Bishop Noll Soccer Sectional.
Bishop Noll (12-2-3) faces rival Andrean on Wednesday in the semifinal.
The Warriors and 59ers played to a tie in late September in a game marred by 45 fouls, seven yellow cards and two ejections.
"We know we aren't going to score seven goals against Andrean," Bishop Noll coach Armando Garza said.
Monday's match at Bishop Noll was less physical and more offensive for the Warriors, who controlled the ball the entire night.
With the exception of an early threat when the Senators (3-9) pushed into the Warrior zone and nearly scored on a Bishop Noll defensive botch — almost an own-goal — Washington Twp. could not generate any scoring opportunities.
"They are an excellent team," Washington Twp. coach Joe Nugent said. "They have good depth and they are coached well. We hoped to give them a good game."
Instead, it was Romo who gave the Warriors a good game.
He put Bishop Noll on the board at the 31:35 mark with a strike from 10 yards out. He then set up Brandon Wade for a second score three minutes later.
Romo came back two minutes later and tallied his second goal on an assist by Michael Camacho, then set up Robbie Lorenz with a goal at the 25:26 mark.
"We usually have three key guys who can score for us and we like to mix it around," said Garza. "Gonzalo is usually marked by three guys, so we strive for balance."
The Warriors worked on that balanced attack in the second half when senior midfielder Aaron Garza shot a laser from 30 yards out to score at the 33:58 mark to make it 5-0.
Senior forward Ryan Cloghessy scored the Warriors' final two goals of the night.
"This was just a casual game, nothing special," Romo said of his performance and his team's play. "We had good attacking, pressure and movement off the ball."
But he knows what's at stake on Wednesday night.
"We know we'll have an intense, physical match," Romo said. "We want to win state. That's our biggest goal. That's our dream."
Andrean beat Bishop Noll in last year's sectional final.
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