The Cerritos College women’s soccer team took on The College of the Desert on Sep.6 defeating them 2-1 in a thrilling comeback victory.
The game started early due to extreme heat, but the sun was still beaming down by the 11 a.m. kickoff time.
College of the Desert came out prepared, moving comfortably in tight spaces on the pitch and effectively working their way into the Falcons half.
The early offense for the Roadrunners would pay off as six minutes into the game #7 Ruby Segura would find the back of the net putting College of the Desert up 1-0.
The Falcons would struggle to maintain possession and create sustained offense before a water break would give both teams the chance to cool down.
Coming out of the break, Cerritos looked much more lively, they seemed to settle into the game feeling more comfortable as they increased their time of possession.
“It was like we have twenty minutes left gotta leave it on the field, and they did,” said Coach Vascones,”with the intensity we knew they were tired and so we just went at them as fast as we could, took advantage of the opportunity finally”
The intensity would lead to a mistake from College of the Desert, the ball was played into the box where it hit off the arm of a Roadrunner defender leading the referee to call for a penalty.
Tempers would soon flare with the call being controversial, desert players adamantly pleaded their case to the referee who stuck with his decision.
Surrounded by commotion Jenna Santos, the youngest member of the team, stepped up to take the penalty.
Speaking about the noise before her spot kick Santos stated “Honestly I just, focus on scoring. I don’t have any nerves or anxious thoughts I just look at the goal and I just know already that I’m gonna score.”
Score she did as the ball rolled comfortably into the bottom left corner tying the game up 1-1 heading into halftime.
The goal was the first of Santos collegiate career “I feel excited, cause I feel like I can bring a lot to the team and I have many more to come.”
Second half action kicked off with both teams looking to find the goal that would separate them, but College of the Desert would be more effective early on.
Receiving the ball in midfield the Roadrunners continually tried to play long balls between the center backs but goalkeeper Trinidad Arzimendi did well to retrieve most of them before they became dangerous.
As the game went on Cerritos seemed to have a bit more left in the tank, the last five minutes were an all out attack by the Falcons.
The game crept into extra time when Ariana Rivera picked up the ball outside the box before dribbling into open space she fired a rocket that ricocheted off the bar and in securing the win in dramatic fashion.
Players surrounded Rivera in celebration jumping and dancing across the field as they soaked in the moment.
Rivera had this to say about her game winner “It feels great I’ve been struggling with my shots and getting that game winner just boosted my confidence more”
Confidence will be high in the Cerritos camp heading into their next matchup Sep.10 against Santiago Canyon.
