Pete Moye’
Sports Button

On one of the last flights to arrive in New York this past weekend and just missing the effects of hurricane Irene, the Cerritos College women’s soccer team started the season in Rochester, New York, with a 2-0 victory over Mercer College and a tie with Monroe College.

With rain during the team’s first match, which took place more than 300 miles away from Manhattan where the worst hit, the team had two freshmen score in the shutout.

Keeping Mercer College from scoring, Sophomore Goalkeeper Laura Ropp did not feel the rainy weather in any way affected the team’s performance.

“We looked good for our first game. We knew where we were going to play and we weren’t worried about the weather affecting our game at all,” Ropp said.

Ropp is one of seven sophomores for Cerritos and feels this year’s team is closer than ever.

“I felt the team was already really close, but New York seemed to have made our team chemistry stronger,” she said, “ it was all the downtime we have here that gives the team a chance to just have fun.”

Another player who also says she has had fun on the trip is freshman midfielder Alexis Ramirez who said, “It’s been fun, we have been disciplined and focused on the goals we set before coming here.”

The team set two goals for themselves prior to arriving to New York, which was to win both games and come closer together as a team.

Sophomore midfielder Monica Ramirez added that the team did not have trouble playing so far from home because of its ability to get into a rhythm as a team.

Ropp said the team will be back in California Friday and will play the following Friday on Sept. 9 against Cosumnes River College.