ROCHELLE — Hubs varsity soccer coach Brad Male thought the 2017 season might be a rebuilding year after the Rochelle program graduated 11 seniors from a 2016 squad that finished 11-9 overall.

Those fears were quickly put to rest when the Hubs won their first three games of the season to finish first in Earlville’s War on 34 Tournament. Despite lacking enough players to fill a junior varsity team this fall, Rochelle won seven of its first eight games, and the Hubs went on to end the season with a better record (12-8-1) than the 2016 group.

“I wasn’t expecting to have only 25 players,” Male said. “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and having some of the freshmen start was a huge eye-opener for me… The boys proved themselves and they worked hard over the course of the year. I’m looking for big things from them next year.”

The Hubs outscored their opponents 80-45 this season behind junior forward Jessee Infante and freshman forward Brayan Orozco, who combined for 50 goals with Infante scoring a team-high 27 and Orozco adding 23. Infante also recorded 18 assists to lead all Rochelle players, while Orozco finished third on the team with eight assists.

Rochelle dominated the likes of Joliet Catholic (7-1), Somonauk (7-1), Ottawa (11-0 over two games) and Hinckley-Big Rock (7-0) while taking down Sterling in the IHSA Class 2A Regional Semifinals for their first win over the Golden Warriors since 2012.

“I didn’t see Brayan until later in the summer but he proved himself,” Male said. “Jessee really improved from last year as far as being a team leader and wanting the ball. It’s huge on offense when you have players who are aggressive like both of those guys are. They fight for the ball and they want to score.”

Junior Adolfo Flores didn’t suit up for the Hubs in 2016, but the midfielder fit in seamlessly this fall, notching 16 assists and set up several key goals throughout the season. Rochelle also received contributions in the midfield from sophomores Austin Brown and Max Torres, who were called up to varsity in 2016 and made noticeable improvements in 2017.

Flores, Brown (nine goals and three assists), Torres (five goals and six assists) and freshman Zane Walters (two goals and five assists) are just a few players to possibly keep an eye on in the midfield when Rochelle begins the 2018 season.

“Midfielders play a key role because they play both offense and defense,” Male said. “We expect a lot out of them, and Adolfo was integral to almost every play we made. We really look to him as a playmaker, and it’s huge to have a player of his caliber in that position.”

Junior Mason DeLille will be eligible to return after leading Rochelle with 106 saves in 2017, while junior Juan Montemayor could also be back to give the Hubs more depth at the goalie position. Three defensive starters will likely return as well including juniors Josue Almaraz (three goals and one assist), Ruben Herrera (three assists) and sophomore Gyvanziel Quinonez (one goal).

“Our defense was strong all year and the boys continued to get better,” Male said. “The longer they played together, the more they communicated and learned how to cover each other… They progressed with each other, and all of them played a huge part in keeping balls away from the net.”

While nearly all of Rochelle’s 2017 roster could come back next year, the Hubs will lose senior forward Komla Gati (five goals and five assists) and senior defender Jesus Nava (one goal and one assist) to graduation. Their stats may not jump off the paper, but Male said both players will be missed for their leadership and toughness.

“Komla’s scoring may not have been there, but he was a captain for a reason and he played a big leadership role,” Male said. “Our players looked up to him during practice and warmups. Jesus was a huge asset back there… He made some good plays and he played a key role on offense sometimes.”