The Cerritos College men’s soccer team kicked off their season on Aug. 23 with a 3-0 victory against The College of the Desert.
Fans quickly filled up the sideline prior to game time eagerly awaiting a first glimpse at what the team had to offer
It didn’t take long for them to get what they had been waiting for; relentless defensive pressing high up the pitch from Pedro Reyes allowed the Falcons to win the ball back in a dangerous area.
Sophomore Jose Lopez with the ball at his feet and green grass in front of him made a dashing run towards goal before tucking away a composed finish to give Cerritos a lead in the third minute.
Defensively, the Falcons shined keeping a clean sheet while allowing only six total shots against them over the course of the entire game.
“I mean it’s a great first game, a good amount of communication, we were on top of it. We kept it locked down for the whole ninety minutes, three to zero first clean sheet, many more to come” said Goalkeeper Griffin Welch when asked about the team’s defensive showing.
A big reason for Cerritos defensive success was the amount of experience on the field as Cerritos played an all-sophomore line up.
Coach Artiaga explained “We started all Sophomores in the game so we knew that those are all guys who already know how to defend and how to do the job . . . that gives me a lot of confidence . . .”
The experience of the line-up proved to be crucial during the second goal of the game as the ball began to fumble around the box.
The Falcons were able to remain composed despite the chaos and forward, Svilen Arriola, was able to lash the ball into the back of the net putting Cerritos 2-0 up heading into the second half of play.
After halftime, both teams seemed to have settled into the game maintaining more control of the ball, however Cerritos remained energetic continuing to run after loose balls and press thanks to their substitutions.
“Just our coach, Benny Artiaga, he’s the best of the best you know. Preseason was amazing, he made us run miles,” said Jonathan Vivar, one of the substitutes, “it made us form a brotherhood so when they ask to come in, we already know what to do.”
College of the Desert had their best offensive opportunities after the break, being able to keep some possession in the Falcons half, but the defense remained strong, absorbing the pressure and getting the ball away.
Offensive momentum soon swung back in Cerritos favor when in the 75th minute Jose Lopez picked up the ball on the left side.
He glided past one defender before showing good strength working his way through two more challenges before sliding a ball across the box that Freshman Gustavo Arias finished off, securing the game with the Falcons third goal.
Cerritos will draw confidence from a performance like this as they head into their next game Tuesday Aug.27 against Norco.
