For the third time in as many games, the Cerritos women’s soccer team earned another shutout victory on Friday. The Falcons beat Taft College, 5-0, in Taft.
After arriving late to the field due to mechanical problems with the bus, Cerritos started the match cold. It took until the 40th minute to heat up when Ruby Leon scored off a Nancy Gandarilla assist. That’s all the Falcons needed to catch fire.
Only one minute later, Tiffany Schultz netted her first goal of the season on an assist from Jessica Ortiz, to give Cerritos a 2-0 cushion going into the break.
Within moments of the second half whistle, Gandarilla put in her fourth goal of the season to make it three goals in eight minutes for the visitors.
Finishing off the scoring in the second half was Ortiz and then Victoria Florez.
“We got in late because of bus problems, and after a 2 ½ hour drive we didn’t start in a rhythm. We just came out flat for the first 40 minutes,” explained coach Ruben Gonzalez.
Despite the slow start, Cerritos was able to turn away Taft’s threats early on in the match.
“Our goalkeeper, Erika (Trejo), played well. She made two good saves early on. If they would have scored first, who knows what it would have been like,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez credits the play off the bench from substitutes like Ortiz and Daniela Mendez.
Both forwards made an impact by recording an assist, while Ortiz also had a goal in the match. “Jessica and Daniela are giving us really good minutes up top.They are both good players, we’re just very deep up there.”
Although the team has outscored its opponents 14-0 in its first three games, Cerritos is not resting on its laurels. Gonzalez is adamant that his team has yet to reach its full potential.
“We’re happy with the results we’re getting, but we’re not playing our best soccer yet. We still have a long way to go.”
The Falcons will look to be firing on all cylinders Thursday, when they next take on Oxnard College at 4 p.m.
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