All Peyton McMahon could think about was putting the ball away.

Awarded a penalty kick after a hand-ball foul inside the Huntley box, Crystal Lake Central called upon its senior midfielder to deliver the go-ahead strike during the fifth minute of the team’s Fox Valley Conference opener against the Red Raiders.

Staring down Huntley keeper Ashlyn Grabs, McMahon successfully finished the PK chance.

McMahon’s goal was the first of two in the opening half for the Tigers, who blanked the Red Raiders 2-0 and avenged a one-goal loss against Huntley last season. In a match that could eventually loom large down the stretch, Central (4-1, 1-0 FVC) held the Raiders (3-1-2, 1-1-1 FVC) to just one corner kick and zero shots on goal.

“It all started with my teammates putting that hard work in,” said McMahon, one of three Tigers to register a shot on goal. “It was great to see them get in the box and draw that foul for me. ... I don’t usually pick a specific spot until that very moment, but all I’m thinking about is confidence and having to score. That’s all that goes through me.”

Maintaining consistent pressure, Central earned a total of six corners, five of which came in the first half. Holding a 1-0 lead for most of the first half, the Tigers sprinted ahead in the 35th minute, when senior forward Addison Schaffer rolled a through ball into the Huntley box.

The ball crept through multiple Huntley defenders and landed at the foot of senior forward Ella Bechler, who blasted a right-footed shot past Grabs and into the goal. The Tigers, who finished second in the FVC to Huntley last spring, ended the match with a 3-0 advantage in shots on goal. Schaffer said she knew her pass would result in a goal.

“When I got it, I was looking for passes through,” said Schaffer, a Loyola Chicago soccer commit. “I dribbled a little and I saw Ella make a perfect run through. I saw the slot and the ball went through. ... I thought this was a really important game for setting the mood for the season. They won last year, so we wanted to come back and win.”

Huntley earned its lone corner of the match during the second half. But the Raiders, who battled wind gusts hovering around 25 mph in the first half, were unable to find any dangerous chances against the strong Central back line. The Tigers nearly went up by three, but a shot by Bechler, off a Schaffer pass, zoomed just wide of the net.

“We had to win the first half and our coach said we needed to have two,” Bechler said. “We knew we needed to go into every ball with 100% effort. We knew this game was going to be close and we had to put in all of our effort. This game is one of the determining factors in the conference almost every year. We knew we needed this one.”

The Raiders, who haven’t scored in their last two games, resume FVC action at Dundee-Crown on Thursday. Central, which has earned three consecutive shutouts and has outscored opponents 14-0 over that stretch, will travel and face Hampshire on the road Thursday.

“We needed a learning experience today,” Huntley coach Matt Lewandowski said. “I think we got it because they came out and they simply ran hard. When you run hard, things happen for you. I’m really proud of the way (we) played. We made some changes and did some things we’ve never previously talked about and they adjusted well.”