In the opening game of the Hartnell Tournament, the Cerritos men’s soccer team recorded its first shutout victory of the season, beating American River, 6-0, on Friday afternoon.

The Falcons’ impressive defense allowed only one shot on goal throughout the match.

Coach Benny Artiaga had nothing but praise for his back line after the game. “We’re very happy to finally post a shutout.

“Its defense maintained its focus for 90 minutes. It held up its end and didn’t give up a late goal this time.”

Cerritos jumped out to an early lead behind a pair of goals from striker Luis Gonzalez.

His first goal came in just the sixth minute of play. He followed up quickly with his second goal, coming only five minutes later.

“Gonzalez really sets the tone for the game,” Artiaga said. “He was responsible for the first three goals in the first 15 minutes of the game.”

Midfielder Juan Mejias put in his first two goals of the year for the Falcons, while Cesar Castillo and Alex Burguete each added one in a match that saw Cerritos up by four before halftime.

“I’m very happy with the way we’re starting off games. I love that we come out aggressive,” Artiaga commented. “A lot of guys have been able get a lot of minutes, which is really important.”

The Falcons will next face the host team, Hartnell College, on Saturday.

Hartnell, currently ranked No. 8 in the nation, should provide the strongest competition for Cerritos so far this season.

“[Hartnell] is a ball possession team, like us,” Artiaga said. “Tomorrow is a tough test for us. It’s Hartnell’s tournament, so it doesn’t want to disappoint at home.”