Cerritos College Men’s Soccer team scored a soaring 4-2 victory, flying past the Los Angeles Harbor Seahawks on Oct. 10, bouncing back from their previous loss against El Camino.
The game started a bit rough for the Falcons with the opposing team taking the lead start in the first half of the match.
Jose Lopez gave the team their first goal in the first half of the match and got the ball rolling. His highlighted play and sportsmanship didn’t go unnoticed by his head coach.
“I really liked the way Jose played,” Artiaga said, “To see him step up, I was really proud of that kid.”
But Cerritos was relentless, right on their tail, scoring back-to-back and successfully taking home the victory.
The winning goal was scored by Christopher Ramirez in the 2nd half of the match and the game was officially over with both teams lining up to solidify a very good game.
“Our goal was to be patient, move the ball how we needed to and be efficient in the final third,” team captain and goalkeeper Juan Pablo Camacho said, “there’s still plenty of work to be done but overall, I think there were a lot of positives.”
Weaving through the opposing players, keeping their heads in the game after the opponents scored first and not backing down from the competition.
“As a whole, the guys played great, I’m proud of them…at our house, we don’t lose. We played our game the way we were supposed to,” Head Coach Benny Artiaga said.
“Our team came to do what we had to do, we were relentless up-top, we kept going, that first goal gave everyone that confidence we needed to keep moving forward and we just kept scoring after that,” Jose Lopez, striker, said.
The team really shined during this game, however there is no time to rest if they want to make it to the state championship and like Camacho said there’s still plenty of work that needs to be taken care of.
According to Lopez, the team came prepared on Oct. 9 to train hard and take care of business, however, not all of the team players were really determined team players.
“We had to discipline a few players before the game and at this stage of the season that just can’t be happening,” Artiaga said.
Though they won, Artiaga says that some of the team lacked a bit of discipline and that is not what Cerritos College stands for, as the college is known best for its no-nonsense credibility and disciplined programs.
“You look at all those titles and banners outside [the college], it’s because we do things the right way and by the right way, I just mean you fulfill your responsibility to this team.”
As long as players keep their consistency, don’t lose focus on the bigger picture, train hard, and remember there is no room to play games, the state championship can be theirs for the taking.
Artiaga said, “We set the groundwork on how it’s gonna be moving forward and it’s either they’re gonna get it or not.”
