It hasn’t been from lack of opportunity, but all season long the Wilson Bruins have struggled to score early in matches.  On Friday afternoon, the Bruins put the early woes behind them when Alexis Marin scored in the fifth minute on the way to a 4-1 first round victory over Aliso Niguel.

“I’m delighted with the boys,” said Wilson coach Mark Hervin.  “We’re a system team, and when we play within our system, we’re a match for anyone.”

The system was working from the first whistle as Wilson out shot Niguel, 7-to-4 in the first half.  Goaltender Javier Torres wasn’t threatened very often, but he did make a save in the fifth minute that set up the first score.  On a quick re start, he put a nice pass on the feet of midfielder Ricardo Alvarado.  From the left side of the box, Alvarado found Marin on the far side who put the ball low past Niguel goalie Alex Figueroa.

Niguel tried again and again to get their captain Aaron Friedson involved in space, but the Bruin defense and Tanner Perkins were all over the talented forward.  Friedson only had one shot on goal all day.

“We knew what they wanted to do,” said Perkins.  “That first goal really took the pressure off us, and it opened the game up, and we stayed strong.”

Wilson got their second goal of the day off an own goal off the head of Niguel defender R.J. Gould.  In the 34th minute, Alvarado was looking for Marin again on the right side, but Gould got in front of it, only to knock it into the side netting.

Seconds before the end of the first half the Bruins scored again off the counter attack.  Carlos Quinones found Alvarado on the near side again, and his one-time touch went off the near post.  Marin was there to collect the rebound, and his cracking shot lifted the netting for his second goal of the afternoon.

The Bruins final goal came in the 55th minute when two players off the bench, Tony Gonzales and Andrew McBride, played a nice give and go on the far sideline.  Gonzales served a ball into the box where forward Bryan Arguello was waiting to put it past Friedson in the top shelf.

Wilson will now move onto the second round next Wednesday.