Sports

Late goal ends men’s soccer’s title defense

Mark Murray • November 28, 2009

For the second time in as many meetings, the Cerritos College men’s soccer team let a lead over Mt. San Antonio College slip away in the waning moments in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Mounties.

Heriberto Ponce put in the Mounties’ first goal and Aaron Salazar scored the late winner in the 89^th minute to end the Falcons’ attempt at a state title defense.

The last time these two teams met, the Mounties scored twice in the final 10 minutes of play to erase Cerritos’ two-goal lead and salvage a point. Once again, Mt. SAC scored two goal at the end of the game, this time to earn the victory.

“We had the lead, but after that we slacked a little bit and they took advantage of that. They were the better team today,” conceded Captain Luis Gonzalez.

Cerritos struck first in the 62^nd minute after Gonzalez was tripped inside the box to set up a penalty kick. Fabian Perez sent Mounties goalkeeper Christopher Lara the wrong way to convert the penalty and give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

Ponce leveled the contest in the 74^th minute by receiving a cross from Spencer Jones and hitting a one-time volley inside the far post.

Fifteen minutes later, Salazar ran onto a through pass from Ponce and slipped between two Cerritos defenders before slotting home the winner.

Mt. SAC head coach Juan Sanchez credits the win to his team’s ability to keep calm under pressure.

“In the end, it came down to the last couple of minutes. The key was we didn’t lose our composure. We kept at it and never got desperate and the game rewarded us in the end,” he commented.

In the first half, the Mounties saw chance after chance turned away by a combination of great saves from goalkeeper Jhovanny Hernandez, the goal frame, and even a goal line clearance by Cerritos defender Timmy Seo.

After the break, Cerritos stepped up their play and created opportunities early on, culminating with its goal midway through the half.

“We played a lot better in the second half. We established our line and played more direct. We were able to find our strikers better,” explained Cerritos head coach Benny Artiaga.

Although the end result is not what they wanted, the Falcons do not see the season as a total loss. According to both Gonzalez and Artiaga, there are plenty of positives to take from the year.

“This was a great season. We ended 19-3, so it was a very successful season for us, Artiaga said.

“We have a lot of freshmen that really matured and grew up over the course of the season. They’re going to come back next year and remember this feeling,” he added.

Gonzalez agreed that although a trip back to the Final Four was the ultimate goal, the season could still be viewed as a success.

“This season was a great one. I loved playing with these guys. I just wish we could’ve gone all the way,” he said.

Sanchez had nothing but praise for Cerritos and the way the team competed in its final match as well.

“All credit is due to Cerritos. (The team) played with a lot of heart and desire. This was one of those rivalry games where it went back and forth and it was great to be a part of,” he exclaimed.