Ruiz’s hat trick leads Valley into sectional semis

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Jonathan Ruiz scored all three Tippecanoe Valley goals in a 3-1 win over host Wabash in a Class 2A, Sectional 22 quarterfinal Monday.

Ruiz scored twice in the first half and once in the second half. Gio Arriaga and Carson Craft had one assist each.

Valley won their 11th consecutive game and improved to 14-3. They will play Manchester, who received a bye, in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Valley won a sectional game for the first time since beating Maconaquah in the 2018 quarterfinals. Valley came in having lost their previous four postseason games by a combined score of 33-2.

Valley had a 29-10 advantage in shots. Tyler Jones had eight saves in goal for Valley.

The Vikings also avenged a 3-2 home loss to Wabash on Aug. 23 in the game that counted in the Three Rivers Conference standings.

Ruiz has scored 10 goals in a five-day span. He had four goals in an 8-0 win over LaVille Thursday and another hat trick in a 9-0 win over South Bend Washington Saturday in the regular season finale. He has 27 goals for the season.

Manchester won the Three Rivers Conference title and beat Valley 6-0 on Aug. 30.

The Tippecanoe Valley boys soccer team beat Wabash 3-1 on Monday in a Class 2A, Sectional 22 quarterfinal at Wabash. They will play Manchester in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Valley is 14-3 on the season.