The Warwick Vets boys’ soccer team started off its final season as Hurricanes on a good note with a 5-0 win over Masters Academy in its season opener on Tuesday afternoon.

Vets will be looking to make some noise in its celebratory season, and there’s no better way to build confidence and momentum than to win the first game convincingly.

The ‘Canes were in control from start to finish, establishing a 3-0 lead by halftime and allowing Vets head coach Mike Kenney to empty his bench and get everyone some playing time in the second half.

“The positive was that everyone got to play a little bit,” Kenney said. “We needed competition. With the thin numbers, it’s been tough to get some competition in practice.”

Despite a slow start, the game was never in doubt for the ‘Canes, who dominated possession for the first 40 minutes and rarely allowed Masters to cross midfield.

Vets’ senior captain Josiah Enos broke the scoreless tie near the midway point of the first half when he blasted a shot past the keeper into the upper right corner.

Enos didn’t stop there, though.

Just three minutes later, he was at it again. This time the senior cut to the middle and ripped a left-footed laser past Masters’ Kevin Rodriguez that found the back of the net in the lower right corner to make it 2-0.

About 10 minutes later, Enos would complete his hat trick.

He gained possession and broke towards the goal, but before he could release a shot, a Masters defender brought him down in the box, triggering the referee to award Enos a penalty kick.

And he wouldn’t let that opportunity go to waste, burying his third goal in less than 15 minutes past Rodriguez to up Vets’ lead to 3-0.

Enos was simply playing at a different gear than everyone else on the field on Tuesday.

“Josiah’s a legit player,” Kenney said. “If you give him too many opportunities, he’s going to take them.”

With the game all but over, Kenney put Enos on defense for the remainder of the half before giving him a rest in the second half.

However, Vets continued to dominate possession after halftime.

Just four minutes into the second half, Vets made it 4-0.

Freshman Zachary Skuce took the ball into the right corner and made a nice cross into the box. The pass found a wide open Dan Lobato, who calmly buried a shot into an open cage.

Lobato will be another key piece to Vets’ potential success this season.

“Danny and Josiah will probably pace the scoring for us this year,” Kenney said.

Senior Alex Baker would end the scoring when he beat Rodriguez with a shot near the midway point of the second half to balloon Vets’ lead to 5-0.

In net, Ryan Costa wasn’t tested often for the ‘Canes, but he did come up with an impressive diving save in the final minutes.

He, too, will be a critical piece for Vets.

“Ryan didn’t get tested today, but he’s one of the best goalies in the division,” Kenney said. “He was up there for the most saves last season. He’s worked at it and went to goalie camp, so he’s excited about this season.”

Vets will now face three teams that had losing records in 2014 in its next four games, but Kenney knows that his team can’t afford to take anyone lightly.

That stretch will begin today when the ‘Canes play at Johnston (1-9-4 in 2014) at 3:30 p.m.

“This was a good way to get our feet wet,” Kenney said. “The games aren’t going to get easier, it’s going to be a battle. We have Johnston on Thursday, and that will be a different game.”

After making it to the Division III quarterfinals last fall, the ‘Canes once again have their sights set on a playoff run this season.

“Making the playoffs is always the goal,” Kenney said. “How healthy we stay is going to dictate that. I think that’s it for us. We have the core, so if we can stay healthy, we’ll have a shot.”