Posted: Sep 19, 2023
One of the reasons the Cerritos College men's soccer team has been able to turn around their slow start is their ability to improve on defense. Through their first four games, the Falcons allowed 11 goals, very uncharacteristic of a Falcons team. But, after their 1-0 win over Taft College on Tuesday, Cerritos has now won six games in a row and have allowed a combined two goals, with the last four games being shutouts.
They were deadlocked with the nation's #19-ranked Cougars in a scoreless game, which was nothing new for Taft. Through their first six games, they had allowed just two goals and played in a pair of scoreless matches. It looked like another scoreless decision until the #20-ranked Falcons scored in the 90th minute and came away with a 1-0 victory.
"What a great win for our program!" said head coach Benny Artiaga. "I think we saw a young team mature before our very eyes. We believe in each other now and we are finding ways to win. I'm not going to lie; that's probably a game we lose early in the year, so I'm very proud and this is the kind of win our program needed to show we are going to be tough later in the year."
With time running out, Cerritos was able to get the ball to the top of the box, where freshman Donavan Perez (South East HS) chipped a pass to freshman Luis Medina (California Connections Academy HS), who was able to slide a shot under Cougars goalkeeper Brian Tufino for his second goal of the season.
A defensive-minded team, the Cougars seemed to try and amp up their offensive pressure in the final 15 minutes. However, the Falcons were up to the task and played very technically sound, as they turned them away without a shot. The Cerritos defense held their opponents to just five shots on the day with two of them on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Juan Pablo Camacho (Norwalk HS) was up to the task and turned both away.
By contrast, Cerritos has a little more success getting the ball in Taft territory, although it was not easy. The Cougars collapsed on the Falcons every time they had the ball and it was due to team speed and the size of the field that benefited Cerritos on occasion. They finished the game with nine shots and saw five of them on goal.
Photos by Daryl Peterson
