Wade Nieman scored five goals to pace Cate in a 12-1 win over Dos Pueblos to remain undefeated in Channel League play at 4-0.
The Rams defense kept the Chargers, ranked No. 10 in CIF-SS Division 3, off the scoreboard until late in the game.
Harry Mc Adam added three goals, all with his left hand, while assisting on five more for Cate. Cody Mast scored three goals, while FOGO extraordinaire Oscar Livingston added a goal.
In what Cate coach Wade Ransom called a textbook defensive performance, the Ram back line of Kristian Scurtis, Caden Fuchs and Sasha Goncharenko frustrated the Dos Pueblos attack. From there goalie Burak Yanar had seven saves.
“Today was our most complete game of the season, and we picked the right day to play it,” Ransom said. “DP has an excellent offensive attack and we worked hard in practice to prepare for their scorers.
“The kids worked the plan to perfection, keeping control of possession and working hard to force DP into turnovers with aggressive play from our defensemen. Our defense is running 5-6 deep right now, giving us the luxury to move some of our poles to midfield, creating a defensive advantage for us.”
The Rams begin the second round of Channel League play on Thursday when they host Santa Barbara at 4:30 p.m. They are 6-0 overall on the season.