Knowing they had to post a win over Mt. San Antonio College on Friday, the Cerritos College men's soccer team fell short in a 2-0 loss. With the Mounties holding a one-point lead in the South Coast Conference standings in their final regular season game of the year, the Falcons knew a tie would not be enough, while Mt. SAC would clinch the title with either a win or tie. The teams will find out where they are seeded for the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Tuesday, with the first round taking place on Saturday.

In the first half, Mt. SAC (14-3-4, 10-3-1) peppered Falcon goalkeeper Thomas Yeandle (Orange Lutheran HS) with a barrage of shots and if not for a few magnificent saves, the game would not have been scoreless after the first 45 minutes.

Cerritos (12-5-4, 8-3-3) had difficulty penetrating the Mountie defense and only posted a pair of shots on goal in the first half and added two more in the second half. The best chance for the Falcons to score came in the 71st minute with the team trailing, 1-0. Sophomore Rudy Montoya (Bell HS) had a great look at the goal, but saw his shot hit squarely off the crossbar, denying the team a tying goal. It would be the best chance for the team to score on the day.

The Mounties scored their first goal in a direct kick from Armando Ochoa from about 12 yards outside the box. His hard shot bent toward the inside post, where Yeandle (nine saves) attempted to clear the ball. But when he punched the ball away, the spin of the shot sent it inside the goal post for a Mt. SAC goal in the 63rd minute. They added an insurance goal during extra time.

Photos by Daryl Peterson