Following the decisions of Kevin Diaz (UCLA), Eugene Martinez (UC Irvine) and Dominic Valdivia (University of San Francisco), Cerritos College men's soccer player Leonel Perez will be playing next season at Marymount California University. The forward out of St. John Bosco High, spent three seasons with the Falcons and was a member of two CCCAA State Final Four teams, while he was a red-shirt in 2018 when Cerritos won the state and national championship.
"I'm really proud of Leo," said head coach Benny Artiaga. "He is a great example of a player who used his time here to grow, get better and become a great player. I'm positive he will help out Marymount California University. They have a great coach and they will be getting a player ready to come in and produce."
Although his efforts didn't always show up on the scoresheet (one goal, one assist), it was his speed and grit in his two seasons that cleared the way for teammates to lead the Falcons to victory. In the 31 games in which he appeared in his two seasons, Cerritos went 27-0-4.
The Mariners reached the Cal Pac Conference championship game last season and concluded the year with a 12-7-1 record.
"He's such a great young man and we will miss him dearly," stated Artiaga.