Playing rival Long Beach City College for the second time in three days, the Cerritos College men's water polo team came out on the short end of a 10-9 decision on Monday. The Falcons (18-6, 4-1) suffered a 13-8 setback at the Riverside Tournament over the weekend and followed that with a tough South Coast Conference loss. The team will host Los Angeles Trade-Tech College on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. in their final conference match before the SCC Tournament.

Playing with a 6-on-5 advantage late in the game, the Falcons were able to get freshman Angel Rojas (Colegio Fray Luis Amigo, Venezuela) a shot on goal, but it was turned away in the final seconds of the game. Even though they committed 18 turnovers on the day, Cerritos stayed close with the Vikings in a game that went back and forth.

It was a 3-3 game after the first quarter, but LBCC maintained a lead for the rest of the game. Rojas led the team with four goals and three assists, while sophomore Marlon Moreno (Colegio Virgen del Rosario, Venezuela) picked up a pair of goals. Freshman Jesus Rojas (Colegio Fray Luis Amigo, Venezuela) posted three assists and three steals, as the Falcons finished with 17 steals in the game.

Sophomore goalie Afredo De La Mora (Bell Gardens HS) was one of seven players who recorded a pair of steals, while he recorded eight blocks.