The Cerritos College women’s soccer team looks to redeem itself after ending the 2009 season with a 1-0 loss in a second-round match-up against Santiago Canyon College, and is working towards winning its third state championship in five years.

Cerritos and Santiago Canyon have split the last four state championships with two a piece. Cerritos won the state championship for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and a national title for the 2008 season.

“It’s going to be an exciting year,” head coach Ruben Gonzalez commented. “It’s a good mix of returning players and incoming players so we are expecting a lot.”

 Though Santiago Canyon prevented Gonzalez from a three-peat-state-championship run, he said winning another state championship isn’t his first priority.

“You never want to look too far ahead,” Gonzalez said. “We have team goals and our first goal is to win the conference title. Our second goal is to win a state title.”

Though Gonzalez doesn’t want to look ahead, captain and starting defender Justine Telles has high hopes for herself and the team.

“Individually, I hope to lead the team as captain, and as a team I expect to go all the way [and win a state championship].”

Sharing Telles’ hopes for the Falcons this season is incoming forward from La Puente High School Daniela Martin. “I know we have a good team,” Martin said, “so I expect to win state, especially.”

With the possibility of playing Santiago Canyon in the playoffs once again, Telles expressed her enthusiasm towards a rematch.

“I’d love to play [the hawks] again; they are great competition,” Telles stated. “I know we are better than they are; we should have showed them last year but another time around would be great.”

The Falcons will begin the season on Saturday with the Sea Breeze Tournament in Oxnard.