Late in the second quarter, the Cerritos College men's water polo team held a slim 6-5 lead against Long Beach City College at the Falcon Aquatic Center on Wednesday. But the Falcons were unable to hold off a strong second half by the rival Vikings and dropped a 14-9 South Coast Conference decision. Cerritos (7-8, 1-2) will now compete in the Riverside Tournament this weekend.

It was a goal by freshman Michael Hanna (Cerritos HS) that gave the team their 6-5 lead, but watched LBCC (7-1, 2-0) score twice before the end of the first half for a lead they would not relinquish. Cerritos was as close as 9-8 with 2:23 left in the third quarter on a goal from freshman Eugene Lee (Hacienda Heights Wilson HS). But the Vikings went on to outscore the Falcons, 4-1 in the fourth quarter to for the win.

The duo of Andrew Ryenolds and Ikko Siato scored twice in the fourth quarter to help LB City pull away in the game, while their goalkeeper duo of Akio Saito and Lazar Andric combined to make 15 saves. Cerritos freshman goalkeeper Alfredo De La Mora (Bell Gardens HS) was solid in net early on to keep the game close, but his eight saves and four steals were not enough.

Sophomores Albert Kim (Cerritos HS) and Miguel Garcia (Montebello HS) each scored twice for the Falcons, who were unable to handle the defensive pressure applied by the Vikings. Kim added a pair of assists, while freshman Peter Roldan (Downey HS) recorded two steals. Reynolds and Saito each finished with a game-high four goals for Long Beach City.

Photos by Daryl Peterson