Freshman goalkeeper Arianna Armijo stepped up adding two more shutouts to the 2016-17 statistic book , after a Sept. 16 road trip to Washington.

Head coach Ruben Gonzalez said, “We have strength in numbers, right now, we are without our first and second string goalkeepers. [Our starter] Ruby Nichols is out with a concussion.”

Nichols suffered a concussion midway through the Foothill game that benched her for the last two games. Her backup Amber Jung has also suffered an unspecified injury.

This led to the young but experienced keeper to take the field.

Armijo began her season’s play on the road at West Valley which was followed by a road trip to Vancouver, Washington where she and the team faced Clark College.

The team completely dominated West Valley with a final score of 6-0 and while shots on target were scarce during the Clark College game the Falcons were able to come out with a 2-0 win.

After the extensive weekend of play, and travel, the team now holds an undefeated 6-0 record with the last four games being shutouts.

Even though the season started off with strong wins the team allowed three goals, which, to a championship bound team are seen as mistakes.

Sophomore, and forward, Amber Whitmore mentioned, “When the season first started it was kinda bumpy because there were new players. We have grown […] we’ve come together as a team [and] it’s as if we are a family [now].”

The Cerritos College women’s soccer team has had tremendous success over the last five years.

Having won a state championship title every year since 2007 this team under coach Gonzalez has become somewhat of an institution.

He said, “The [incoming girls] know they are coming into a championship program. They hoped to follow in the footsteps of past players.”

He added that the aura around the team has become a culture of winning.

The undefeated record that this season’s team has acquired shows truth that winning is a big part of what being a Falcon here at Cerritos means.

Whitmore said, “When we hit the field, [we] only think of one thing, which is to win. And that’s exactly what we are going to do again this year.”

Despite having all six games on the road the team has been able to perform at high levels.

Gonzalez said, “We [have a] long ways to go. We’ve had [our] ups and down.”

“As a coach you always want more [out of players],” he continued, “They are a good group of [women] on and off the field.”

Each player on the team is equipped, and plays, with an immense amount of talent which make each game the team plays a tryout for their spot on the starting roster.

“[We are] deeper than we have been in the past,” Gonzalez stated.

He continued to speak about how the women work harder in practice because it’s anybody’s opportunity to take the starting position.

Whitmore also said, “The competition was high [because you] were fighting for your starting spot.”

But she said that team has gotten over all of that and that a lot of them hang out outside of school, and practice.

“[We] all get along very well,” she said, “Which makes our chemistry even better.”

Having spent so much time on the road together working as a team is a key factor in the growth and continued success as a team.

Gonzalez mentioned, “There’s a combination of both [pushing each other and helping each other out.]”

“[You see] sophomores, and returning players, taking the younger girls under their wings,” he stated.

He also said the intense travel and schedule are in preparation for the playoffs, which is always at a quick level of play.

“[We] prepare in preseason for finals,” he stated, “When we set the schedule for the season we set it with the final four game format [in mind].”

He explained that when the team’s move on to playoffs, and eventually the final, the [teams] will always play one game one day, have a day of rest and then play again.

“That’s why we play, this year, Wednesday and then two days later on Friday,” he said.

The Falcons are in search of a five-peat this season, the end goal is always on the mind of the team but more specifically on the mind of Coach Gonzalez.

“The goal every year is to win state,” he said, “The ultimate prize is a championship and with hard work we will get there.”