Cerritos College freshman Mia Ramirez (Torrance HS) scored three times in the first half to help lead the team to a 6-0 South Coast Conference crossover win over host East Los Angeles College on Tuesday. The win by the Falcons was their sixth in a row and improves their record to 10-1-1 on the year. They will travel to Rio Hondo College on Friday for a 6:00 p.m. conference crossover match.
It was a 3-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the game, with Ramirez accounting for two of the goals and freshman Brianna Yepez (Paramount HS) scoring the other. In the fifth minute of the game, the Falcons struck as sophomore Maria Hernandez (Sierra Vista HS) fed a ball though the middle of the field to Ramirez, who went in alone against the Huskies goalkeeper. One quick move left a large side of the net open and Ramirez was on her way to a three-goal game. Just two minutes later, Yepez lined up for a free kick from the left side of the field and laced a shot that went under the crossbar for a beautiful goal.
Before East LA could regroup, the Falcons tacked on another goal. On the play, freshman Sophie Saouma (Esperanza HS) found Hernandez at the top of the 18-yard box, where she quickly left a drop-pass for Ramirez, who drilled a one-timer into the left side of the net. Prior to halftime, Cerritos struck again as freshman Elizabeth Mendez (Long Beach Millikan HS) split through the defense using her speed and placed a pass on the foot of Ramirez. Not losing a step, Ramirez posted her team-leading 14th goal of the season.
With the Falcons clicking on both sides of the field, the freshmen goalkeeping tandem of Deisy Rodriguez (Katella HS) and Andrea Diaz (Cerritos HS) combined for the team's ninth shutout of the season and fifth in a row. The two were not required to make any saves, with Rodriguez playing the first 62 minutes and Diaz coming in for the final 28 minutes.
In the second half, sophomore Itzel Ballesteros (Maywood Academy HS) gave the Falcons a 5-0 lead in the 61st minute when she converted a penalty kick. They closed out the scoring in the 76th minute when Ballesteros broke down the right side of the field, where she crossed a pass sophomore Brittany Reyes (Santa Fe HS/Cal State Northridge), who converted it into her eighth goal of the season.