It doesn't matter what the records are when the Cerritos College and Long Beach City College men's soccer teams face each other. On Tuesday, the Falcons (9-2-1, 5-0-0), sitting in first place in the tough South Coast Conference, handed the visiting Vikings (3-5-4, 0-4-1) a 2-1 setback, but not without its share of dramatic flare. LBCC took an early lead, but Cerritos was able to come back before halftime to tie the game and then scored the eventual game-winner with 25 minutes remaining. The Falcons will now host Pasadena City College at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

The Vikings struck first in the 10th minute when Erik Carbajal chipped a Jesse Hernandez pass behind Falcon goalkeeper Benito Gonzalez (Long Beach Wilson HS). But a little over a minute later, sophomore Thiago Lusardi (Centro Educational Ramos, Brazil HS) rattled a shot off the goal post, which would have tied the game. Although the game remained hotly contested the entire way, Cerritos controlled possession of the ball for the majority of the game, as they outshot LB City 18-7.

In the 26th minute, Lusardi was able to head home his 12th goal of the year, as he reacted quickly when Vikings goalkeeper Rogelio Zaragoza turned away the initial shot attempt by freshman Edward Robles (Annenberg HS), who would play a crucial part throughout the game.

LBCC found themselves forced to play a man down for almost 60 minutes of the game when Michael Pedraza received a red card for tackling Robles just outside the 18-yard box on an attempted breakaway. Cerritos received a direct kick from outside the box, which was deflected wide.

Cerritos finally scored their game-winning goal with just over 25 minutes left in the game. Robles, who assisted on two of the team's goals in their last win, won the ball along the end line and kept it from going out of bounds. He maintained possession and used his speed on the edge to get around Jose Martinez, and presented freshman Edwin Corona (Cathedral HS) with a chance at a one-timer, which was deposited into the net for the winning goal.

One of the main reasons the Falcons were able to maintain ball control was due to the play of their defenders, as well as the team's solid passing and overall hustle. The trio of sophomore Ricardo Villegas (Paramount HS), along with freshmen Ricardo Covarrubias (Elizabeth Learning Center HS) and Christian Hernandez (John Glenn HS) shut down many Viking offensive rushes before they could develop. Gonzalez earned the win by making two saves, including one late in the game against Carbajal.

Photos by Daryl Peterson