The Cerritos College Falcons men’s soccer team were crowned 3C2A state champions on Dec. 7 after besting the Hartnell College Panthers 2-1 in extra time on Cerritos midfielder Gustavo Arias’ 17th goal of the season in the 103rd minute of the match.
Arias was named 3C2A tournament MVP with three goals in the tournament including his game-winner against Hartnell to give Cerritos its fifth state championship in program history.
“This feels amazing,” Arias said. “Two years for this, We worked so hard. Last year, quarterfinals. This year, all the way. I’m proud of all of these boys.”
This is Cerritos’ first state championship since 2018 and head coach Benny Artiaga is now a perfect 5-0 in 3C2A state finals appearances with his first state title coming in 2006.
“This is one of the most amazing feelings. It doesn’t get old,” Artiaga said. “The reason it doesn’t get old is because some of my coaches have never won one, obviously the team has never won one. So, I have to approach it, even though I’m 5-0 in finals, like it’s my first.”
On his deciding goal, Arias noted an opportunity to shoot the ball during regulation where he opted to pass and the Falcons did not finish and said, “When I got the ball right there, I said ‘I’m going to take the goalie’, I did and I scored. That’s it.”
Hartnell had a total of 16 shots with eight shots on goal as Falcons goalkeeper Eduardo Enriquez recorded seven saves while Cerritos totaled 10 shots with 5 shots on goal.
“I didn’t lose focus, I was always on my toes, I know I had it in me,” Enriquez said.
He added, “A year ago I told Benny, once last season finished, I was going to get him a championship. He told me that usually keepers my height, nobody trusts us, but he trusted me, coach Chris trusted me, everybody trusted me and gave me that hope and that feeling to win.”
The match between the Falcons and the Panthers saw both teams in a scoreless tie to end the first half with both teams locked in a defensive and physical contest.
Falcons forward William Rodriguez, who won his second state championship in as many years after winning in 2024 with Cuyamaca College, opened the scoring with his goal in the 71st minute.
It was a tightly contested game until that point and Rodriguez said, “Once it hit the back of the net I knew it was game, like the game could have been over.”
Hartnell College had not allowed a goal in 437 minutes since their match against Cañada College on Nov. 11 until Rodriguez found the net.
Artiaga said, “Cañada hadn’t allowed a goal all tournament and we put three. So, Cerritos, we figure it out.”
Hartnell College’s Edwin Moreno scored the equalizer with his penalty shot in the 83rd minute that would eventually take the game into extra time with a 1-1 tie.
Artiaga said, “We had six minutes to hold on to be state champions and they scored. A lot of teams could break down in those moments and this team was far from it, we didn’t budge.”
The decisive goal for Cerritos came on a play started by forward Allan Gonzalez who found himself in the middle of multiple key plays throughout the match to help keep the game close.
“I just have to be there for my team. I’m a captain, so it’s my standard. I have to show up and show out when my team needs me,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez’s ball to forward Alejandro Oropeza eventually found Arias who scored on an empty net after creating space from Hartnell defenders and the goalkeeper in the box.
“Allan’s our captain, our leader, dude is just something else,” Artiaga said. “You can’t match his heart.”
The Falcons defense was able to keep the Panthers scoreless until the final whistle, claiming the 3C2A state championship.
“Being a part of this team is very special. It’s not for the weak, it’s not easy. You’ve got to put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears, so I wear that with a passion,” Gonzalez said.
The Falcons officially finished the season with a 17-6-3 record and Artiaga completed his 21st year as head coach of the soccer team.
“This is one of the most resilient groups I’ve ever seen,” Artiaga said, “and I think I have one of the most amazing staffs. There’s just no way we could do it without them.”
Duran Ventura contributed to this article.
