Two of the top teams in the country faced off in a non-conference men's soccer game on Friday, as Taft College took on host Cerritos College. In an evenly contested game, the Cougars (8-0-0), ranked #6 in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA), were the recipient of a Cerritos own goal in the 89th minute and came away with a 2-1 win. The Falcons (5-1-1), who are ranked #8 by the NSCAA, tied the game in the 57th minute and had a chance to take a lead in the 77th minute, but missed on a penalty kick.

With the score tied, 1-1, freshman Steve Martinez (Salesian HS), who scored the tying goal, was pulled down in the box by Taft's Jesus Villalpando, which resulted in a penalty kick. The low, line drive attempt by Martinez was stopped by JD Cisneros, and he also came up with a rebound save against freshman Lucas Da Silva.

With time running out, the Cougars set up for a corner kick. The ball was sent toward the net and when the Falcons tried to clear the ball with a header, it went into the net past sophomore Jaime Sanchez (Salesian HS) for the game-winning goal.

Taft controlled the ball for the majority of the first half and limited Cerritos to just one shot on goal. But in the second half, the tables were turned and the Falcons had the ball most of the game on the attacking side of the field. Cisneros finished with five saves on the day, while Sanchez had eight stops.

Cerritos, who played the game without five players due to disciplinary reasons, will host East Los Angeles College at 4:00 p.m. on September 30 in their South Coast Conference opener.