M. Soccer: Team settles for 1-1 tie

File Photo: Bryan Villalobos (11) accounted for the team's lone goal
File Photo: Bryan Villalobos (11) accounted for the team's lone goal

Heading into their South Coast Conference game, the Cerritos College men's soccer team was looking to build on their previous result. Coming off a 1-0 win over East Los Angeles, where the Falcons felt they could have scored five or six times, the team used a late first half goal to post a 1-1 tie with host Los Angeles Harbor College (1-5-9, 1-1-2) on Friday. The draw keeps the team's unbeaten streak alive at 38 matches in a row (34-0-4), while Cerritos was looking to regain their offensive output that had netted them 25 goals in their previous six games before facing East LA. Next up will be a 6:00 p.m. conference match at Rio Hondo College on Tuesday.

The Seahawks shocked the Falcons with a goal in the 21st minute to take an early lead. But Cerritos continued to pressure their opponents and knotted the game in extra time prior to the end of the first half. On the play, freshman Victor Trujillo (Fremont HS) crossed the ball from 25 yards out into the goal crease, where sophomore Bryan Villalobos (Salesian HS) was there to head the ball into the net. It was the third goal on the season for Villalobos.

Looking to break the tie, Cerritos put four shots on goal in the second half, with sophomore Kevin Diaz (Connections Academy HS) recording a pair, while Villalobos and leading scorer Bryan Ortega (Paramount HS) accounting for the other two.

Freshman goalkeeper Luis Enciso (Gahr HS) turned away four shots in the first half, but did not face any shots in the final 45 minutes. A lot of the credit goes to a foursome of sophomore defenders who helped keep the Seahawks at bay - Ernie Cueva (Bassett HS), David Lermas (Paramount HS/Compton College), Eugene Martinez (Delille Academy, Belize) and Jorge Cardona (Connections Academy HS).