Forwards Jose Hernandez and Ethan Sonis scored a goal each to help the North Valley Juventus defeat 96 Sereno White 2-0 and win the boys U14 Gold division at the 27th Annual Sereno Soccer Classic on Monday at Avondale Friendship Park.

Juventus stayed aggressive on the offensive end of the field throughout the game, and even though Sereno played strong defense, Juventus finally broke through in the last five minutes of the game.

“We are an attacking team ranked first in the state and 14th in the nation with two of the best forwards in the state (Hernandez, Sonis),” said Juventus head coach Grant Sawyer. “The tactic in both halves was to keep attacking.”

The first promising play came from Aidan Raj of Juventus in the 14th minute, as he took on two defenders and drove into the penalty box for an unsuccessful attempt to lob the goalkeeper.

Sereno had a good look early in the first half when Nicholas Hammer threw the ball into Aaron Coloma for a header that nearly went in.

The first goal came in the 60th minute when Julio Romero passed the ball to Hernandez, who quickly fired a shot from inside the penalty box.

Juventus pushed hard on the next three possessions, getting close to the goal every time and eventually scoring on the fourth. Hernandez sent an assist to Sonis for an open look after a short battle with the defenders near the goal line.

Sawyer said that Sereno has been his primary competition in the tournament.

“We tied them 0-0 the first time,” he said.