Looking to snap a losing skid, the Cerritos College men's soccer team turned in a solid all-around effort in their 4-0 South Coast Conference win over Pasadena City College on Tuesday. The win puts the Falcons (5-10-3, 5-5-1) in a tie for third place in the conference with three games remaining. They will travel to face fifth place East Los Angeles College at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.

Sophomore Christian Carrillo (Katella HS) showed why he was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year last season, as he scored a pair of goals in the win. In the eighth minute, freshman Mark Cruz (El Toro HS) sent a corner kick into a crowd of people in front of the Lancer goal. After the first shot was turned away by PCC goalkeeper Yusuf Elmasri, Carrillo was there to head the ball just under the crossbar. Lancer defender Yezid Lopez tried to clear the ball away, but the rotation of the header just secured the ball into the back of the net.

In the 19th minute, sophomore Cesar Armendariz (Odyssey HS) fed a through pass to freshman Ricardo Colin (Jefferson HS), who was able to slide a shot under Elmasri, who came well out of the net to try and get to the ball before Colin. The sliding Colin chipped the ball hard enough to get past the keeper and into the net for his third goal of the season.

Cerritos looked to add to their total in the 62nd minute when Cruz was tackled in the box by Lancers Derek Bell, setting up a penalty kick. But Elmasri turned in one of his nine saves when he moved correctly to thwart the attempt by Cruz. Not more than two minutes later, Carrillo turned and launched a line drive off a ball sent by freshman Ivan Vasquez (Fullerton HS) after PCC was called for a foul.

The scoring was rounded out in the 82nd minute on a laser of a shot off the foot of freshman Mark Sanchez (Westview, AZ HS). His free kick was placed perfectly over the Lancers wall and into the upper corner over the outstretched hands of Elmasri.

The goalkeeper tandem of sophomore Jaime Sanchez (Aspire Pacific Academy HS), who made two saves in 74 minutes, and freshman Eduardo Valdovinos (Long Beach Millikan HS), with one save in 16 minutes, combined for the seventh shutout of the season.

Photos by Daryl Peterson