The wait is finally over, Cerritos College Falcons women’s soccer returned as they prevailed over the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines 3-1 in their season opener on Aug. 22.
Falcons have returning star players with skill dribbler forward Jessica Arroyo, playmaker defender Jenna Santos, and goal-scorer Ariana Rivera.
The start of the game was a back-and-forth affair as both teams battled for possession.
The Falcons bombarded shots at Wolverines goalkeeper Bella Silva, but she kept them at bay.
In the 15th minute, Falcons midfielder, Christina Rodriguez, kicked the ball into the box to Falcons forward, Melissa Martinez. Martinez came in one-on-one with Silva and juked to the left side and scored on an open net to make it 1-0.
When asked about her goal, Martinez said, “I was really excited, I didn’t know what to do, it was my first college goal so I was really happy.”
As play resumed after the goal, the Wolverines tried to break in on the attack but Falcon defender, Hypasha Garcia, stopped them from penetrating the box.
The Falcons pushed for more as they went on the attack. Arroyo came in through the midfield and made a chip shot outside the box to beat Silva‘s glove on the top right corner to make 2-0.
Arroyo said, “I’ve been practicing with coach, so I had the chance and I took it and then it went in.”
The Falcons immediately scored a third goal as Garcia kicked a long ball to team captain Rivera who came in on the right side into the box and powered a shot past Silva.
Rivera said, “I was excited for the season especially and just now scoring this to start off the season, it feels great.”
In the second half the Wolverines came out flying looking for a good start.
Wolverines midfielder, Jayla Orozco, stepped up to a corner kick, and fired a ball into the box.
Chaos ensued as players battled for possession. Wolverines midfielder, Faith Facio, found control of the ball and beat Falcons goalkeeper Paulina Prescott to make it 3-1.
That goal gave the Wolverines life as they went on the attack, but Prescott held them to one goal.
The Falcons went on the counterattack looking to gain back the momentum, but ultimately the game ended at 3-1.
When asked about how she felt about their win, midfielder Samara Gonzalez, said, “really good. Tiring because of the hot sun, but overall amazing.”
Head coach Yvette Vascones said, “The girls look good. There’s some positive things that we need to work on, but that’s all part of it. So, yeah, we did good regardless of the heat and all that. I think what’s happening with the girls is the performance”.
The Falcons had on the road to face the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles in HCN Bank Stadium in Menifee, California. on Aug. 26.
