Getting their first opportunity to play at home this season, the Cerritos College women's soccer team recorded a 7-1 non-conference win over San Diego Miramar College on Tuesday. The game was originally scheduled for a week ago, but the Jets didn't have enough healthy players to compete that day. Back in the 2013 season, Miramar extended the Falcons to overtime in a third round Southern California Regional Playoff game, which sent Cerritos to the CCCAA State Tournament, en route to their second of five consecutive championships. The victory improved the Falcons record to 3-0-1 on the year, while they surrendered their first goal of the season. The team will travel to Los Angeles Pierce College on Friday for a 4:00 p.m. non-conference game.
It took Cerritos less than three minutes to get on the scoreboard, as sophomore Itzel Ballesteros (Maywood Academy HS) finished off an offensive push when she was able to score on a one-time pass from freshman Mia Ramirez (Torrance HS). The duo each had three-point first halves, as they had a hand in each of their goals. With the Falcons on top, 2-0 after freshman Alixzandra Evans (Batavia, IL HS) scored in the ninth minute on a beautiful turn-and-shoot goal, two more goals by intermission put the team in a comfortable position.
Ramirez scored the first two goals of the first half, with Ballesteros earning the assist. In the 17th minute, Ramirez was able to get separation from her defender and chipped a hard shot that Jets goalkeeper Maria Andreyev could only slow down, and watched the ball roll into the net. Ballesteros worked her way into a scoring position 10 minutes later and spotted Ramirez, who controlled the pass with her back to the net. She then made a quick turn and got off a great shot that Andreyev couldn't get into position to attempt a save.
The second half was more of Cerritos controlling the ball in Miramar territory for the majority of game play. Stepping into a scoring position, freshman Elizabeth Mendez (Long Beach Millikan HS) made it a 5-0 game when her shot went under the crossbar in the 59th minute. Sophomore Brittany Reyes (Santa Fe HS/Cal State Northridge), who picked up the assist on the Mendez goal, scored one of her own in the 67th minute when Ramirez moved the ball deep into Jets territory and got off the original shot. With the ball loose in the goal crease, Reyes was there to chip it in. She scored the final goal of the game for the Falcons in the 86th minute, as freshman Gisselle Jimenez (Long Beach Millikan HS) moved the ball upfield in transition, with Reyes in position to score her second goal of the game, this one on a one-timer.
Freshman goalkeeper Deisy Rodriguez (Katella HS) wasn't asked to make a save in the first 67 minutes of play and came out in favor of Alexa Moreno (Duarte HS). Miramar finally got on the board in the 82nd minute when a mad scramble in front of the net resulted in the Falcons surrendering their first goal of the season.
Photos by Daryl Peterson
