Photos by Ray Hamill/Humb oldSports.com – Action from Wednesday’s game between Del Norte and Eureka

Senior Giovanni Henry Minor scored a hat trick as the Del Norte Warriors won a key game to kickstart their league campaign in boys soccer on Wednesday.

The Warriors traveled to Eureka to play a Loggers team many people considered one of the frontrunners for this year’s H-DNL title and won an entertaining game 5-2.

The two sides combined for five goals in the opening quarter, but the Del Norte defense stepped up the remainder of the afternoon and held the home side scoreless after the fast start.

And the win was achieved with a balanced team effort.

“The standout performance was the team as a whole,” Del Norte head coach David Sanyaolu said. “Everyone played well.”

Including Minor, who scored twice in the first half and completed his hat trick with a second-half strike.

Adrian Garcia also scored in the opening half as the Warriors carried a slender 3-2 advantage into the break.

Alexis Ortiz added a second-half penalty kick goal and Del Norte ended the game as a contest before the final whistle. 

Sebastian Espinoza was hugely influential in the victory and assisted on three of the Del Norte goals.

The win was the fifth straight for a Del Norte team that once again is showing why it should be considered one of the frontrunners for this year’s title despite graduating 10 seniors from last year’s roster.

The Warriors will continue league play in a huge showdown at Fortuna next Wednesday.

The Huskies also impressed in their opener at South Fork this week, winning 14-0 and improving to 10-0.

The Warriors are now 7-2 overall. 

For more on Eureka’s performance, see our Wednesday soccer roundup.