W. Soccer: Two players earn All-American honors

(L-R) Lauren Nanez, Head Coach Ruben Gonzalez and Alyssa Cabral all earned All-America honors.
(L-R) Lauren Nanez, Head Coach Ruben Gonzalez and Alyssa Cabral all earned All-America honors.

After Cerritos College women's soccer coach Ruben Gonzalez was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III Coach of the Year, he was joined by a pair of his players to receive national honors. Sophomore Lauren Nanez, who was a strong candidate for National Player of the year, was named 1st Team All-America and 1st Team All-Region. She was joined by freshman Alyssa Cabral, who was a 2nd Team All-America and 1st Team All-Region.

Nanez, who was selected the South Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, helped lead the Falcons to the National Championship, as well as the state title, while earning the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She finished the season with a team-leading 17 goals and 18 assists on the year. As for Cabral, she helped anchor the defense which resulted in 10 shutouts, including a 2-0 win over previously #1-ranked Santiago Canyon College in the championship game.

The two picked up 1st Team all-conference honors, as did sophomores Chelsea Villegas and Jennifer Mejicanos, along with freshman Jazmin Aguas. Villegas and Mejicanos were both solid defensive players for Cerritos, while Aguas accounted for four goals and 12 assists. Earning 2nd Team all-conference recognition were sophomore Karina Sandoval, along with freshman Lyanna Farran, Claudia Lopez and Claudia Ibarra. Sandoval scored six times, with most of them coming from free kicks, with Ibarra (16 goals, 13 assist) and Lopez (12 goals, four assists) both making key offensive contributions. Farran was another defensive-minded player that was critical to the team's success.