By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

Napa Valley College head men's soccer coach Rogelio Ochoa talked to his team at halftime on Friday, Oct. 13 about the importance of making smarter runs and smarter decisions, passing off a good shot for a great shot, and creating better scoring looks.

"I think that's what we did in the second half, just seeing those spaces a little bit better, and just allowing us to have better assists to put them away. I think that was the biggest difference," said Ochoa.

Ulisses Cruz got the message, loud and clear.

"Yeah, it really hit me. It just really stuck with me," said Cruz.

On a late-afternoon with cloudy conditions and temperatures in the low 70s, Cruz went about his business in the second half, brilliantly finding the net to the tune of scoring five goals in a sensational individual performance for the Storm's freshman midfielder.

It's the most goals that Cruz, a 2021 Napa High School graduate, has ever scored in a game. His remarkable achievement led Napa Valley to a 9-0 Bay Valley Conference win over visiting Merritt College-Oakland.

The 5-foot-10 Cruz called it the biggest game of his life. He scored on a combination of mid-range and close-range shots.

"Yeah, definitely," he said. "I feel like it was just right timing, just there at the right time. I was able to get that last touch in.

"It feels surreal to me. I feel very proud for my team and the support. I just felt like today was my day and I just took advantage of it."

After leading 1-0 at halftime, Napa Valley took over control of the game in the second half, with Cruz sparking the Storm (5-7 overall, 3-2 Bay Valley), who have won two straight matches and are tied for third place in the conference standings.

Cruz's spectacular scoring output came at:

* Goal at 55-minute mark of second half, the assist to Angelo Vivan, a sophomore forward.

* Goal at 60-minute mark of second half, the assist to Jonah Segura, a freshman defender.

* Goal at 74-minute mark of second half, the assist to Angel Perez, a sophomore defender.

* Goal at 79-minute mark of second half, the assist to Gedeon Ilunga, a freshman forward.

* Goal at 80-minute mark of second half, the assist to Israel Luevano, a freshman midfielder.

"He just has that instinct, whether you put him in the midfield, defense, which is where he's been playing all season. We put him up top. He just knows what he's supposed to do and he doesn't think about it," Ochoa pointed out. "He just does it. And because of that, he's there before other opponents, or sees a play develop faster. I think that's what allows him to get to those opportunities and score those goals today."

Justin Sotelo, a sophomore forward, scored two goals for Napa Valley.

Sotelo opened the scoring, connecting on a shot at the two-minute mark of the first half. The assist was credited to Luevano.

Sotelo scored his second goal, coming at the 65-minute mark of the second half. It was unassisted.

The Storm's ninth and final goal was scored by Anthony Mora, a sophomore midfielder, at the 87-minute mark of the second half. The assist was credited to Ilunga.

Mateo Villanueva, a freshman midfielder, scored at the 70-minute mark of the second half. The assist went to Sotelo.

"We started the game the way we wanted to, with an early goal, two minutes in. But then we allowed the game to stay in the balance for too long, even though we were pressing and having possession of the ball. We had clear chances. But again, we just didn't put them in," said Ochoa.

"We've had games in which we played like today, but the result doesn't reflect that. And I think today, it reflects a little bit more. Hopefully, we can continue this going forward to the next game."

Napa Valley had just the one goal, despite a relentless barrage of shots on goal, in the first half. The Storm dominated the ball and also time of possession and passed it very well in the opening half.

"We knew we had the potential. And now we're seeing results," said Ochoa. "It was a team effort. It was a clean shutout. It's also just being aggressive offensively, but also very disciplined in the back as well."

It all came together in a scoring spree in the second half.

"In the second half, we just clicked, the chemistry was all together, and we all wanted to win together. No one was greedy. We all passed it all along, which was nice," said Cruz.

"We all play along well. I think now we have the foundation down; defense is solid, midfield is solid. And now the attacking strikers are being solid, getting goals. Coach has us all very disciplined. I'm excited for the rest of the season."

Cruz transferred to Napa Valley from Santa Barbara City College. He did not play soccer for the Vaqueros

"I just felt like this is my home, this is my city. I just wanted to leave something here, grow something here," said Cruz, who played for Napa United, Napa High and Napa Valley 1839 FC, a National Premier Soccer League team, that plays in the West Region's Golden Gate Conference.

Cruz has been training with NVC since this past summer. Napa Valley won a fifth straight Bay Valley Conference title and advanced to the California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regional playoffs last year.

He has started all 12 games for the Storm, which played one of the toughest nonconference schedules of any team in Northern California.

"I'd like to say I'm more of a defender. I like being aggressive and like chasing the ball, getting the ball and distributing. So (Friday) was like a nice change for me. I got to use my creative side and go to the goal," said Cruz.

Carl Osifo-Doe got the shutout as Napa Valley's goal keeper.

Napa Valley is on the road for its next two games – Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Yuba College-Marysville and Friday, Oct. 20 at Mendocino College-Ukiah.

"We've got to continue this into next week. We're going to have two tough away games," said Ochoa.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.