In the last game before the conference begins, the Cerritos College Falcons put up a fight against the Glendale Community College Vaqueros, winning by a score of 5-0 on Oct. 3.
Cerritos head coach Benny Artiaga said, “The number one thing we got out of today was our first shutout. So that was very important for us to get our first shutout. You know, we haven’t had a shutout all season, so we played well defensively.”
He added, “I think it was a good message for us to get us shut out before we start league.”
It was a slow start in the first half, but the Falcons picked up a lead toward the end of the half.
In the 34th minute freshman Henderson Figueroa gave Cerritos the lead with a cross from freshman William Rodriguez within 30 seconds of entering the game.
“Well, going in, I know how to make an impact. I saw Will take a touch, and I knew the ball was coming, so I just timed my run, and there it was. I just had to head it in,” he said.
The Falcons ended the first half with a one-goal lead, with many missed opportunities to increase that lead.
To start the second half, sophomore Alejandro Oropeza took a shot off sophomore Christian Ramirez’s rebound and scored.
With 20 minutes left in the second half, the final goals were scored by three different players. Freshman Matthew Pulido, Allan Gonzalez and Nathan Pineda all found the net.
Freshman Anthony Gomez played the first 84 minutes making some crucial saves and in the final six minutes Jorge Laverde checked in on the field to help secure the shutout.
A significant number of goals scored and shots on goal came from crucial rebounds, showcasing aggressive play and quick reactions.
Cerritos improved its 6-3 results to 7-3, looking to keep their winning streak. The Falcons hope to win a good seed for the Southern California Regional Playoffs.
“You know, one of the things that we have made is the strong emphasis on staying positive, man. Staying positive because we’ve been playing good,” Artiaga said.
“So we know if we’re at our best, we’re gonna be very hard to beat. And, you know, the guys on our offense are finally starting to click, too,” Artiaga added.
The Falcons’ next match will be its first conference game on the road on Oct. 7 against 3-2-3 Mt. San Antonio College.
