With first place in the South Coast Conference South Division on the line, the Cerritos College men's soccer team showed their dominance in a 4-1 win over visiting Compton College. The Falcons (7-0-3, 2-0-0), ranked #2 in the nation among community college Division III (non-scholarship) teams by the United Soccer Coaches, scored a pair of goals in both halves to defeat the Tartars (8-2-1, 2-1-0). The team will travel to Los Angeles Harbor College for a 6:00 p.m. divisional game.

The game was aggressive from the outset, with both teams receiving first half yellow cards and combined for 16 fouls. Cerritos got on the board in the 24th minute when Compton was called for a hand ball in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Sophomore Luis Garcia (La Habra HS) converted the penalty kick against goalkeeper Larry Sanchez for a 1-0 advantage. Continuing their aggressive play on both sides of the field, the Falcons were able to add to their lead in the 43rd minute. Freshman Christian Perez (Paramount HS) pressured Edgar Flores deep in Tartar territory and stole the ball. He gathered himself and scored on Sanchez with a chip shot.

As the second half progressed, Cerritos began to show their dominance and scored twice in a 10-minute span. In the 71st minute, sophomore Guy Carven (National Haitian Student Alliance) controlled the ball at midfield and sent a pass to Garcia, who made a pair of offensive moves, with his third move around Sanchez, who came out of the box to defend. That left Garcia with an empty net, and he made it a 3-0 lead. The final goal came in the 81st minute when sophomore Marc Calderon (Elizabeth Learning Center HS) sent a ball toward the net, forcing Sanchez to play it. Trying to clear the ball, freshman Carlos Payeras (Lennox Academy HS) was able to extract the ball and poked it into the net for a goal.

Compton scored their goal in extra time when Cerritos was called for a foul in the box, which resulted in a penalty kick. Freshman goalkeeper Jordan Aldama (North Torrance HS) guessed the right way, but the low shot by Alan Arias went under him to spoil the shutout.

Photos by Daryl Peterson