The Cerritos College women's soccer team opened up a 2-0 second half lead and held on to it, as they defeated Santa Rosa Junior College, 3-1 on Friday. The win by the Falcons moved them to 2-0-0 on the season, and they will conclude their two-game trip to Sacramento on Sunday morning with a 10:00 a.m. game against host Cosumnes River College.

After several scoring chances were averted, Cerritos struck right before the end of the first half. Working the ball on the left side of the field, sophomore Nayeli Requejo (Bishop Amat HS) found sophomore Ashley Anaya-Webb (Yorba Linda HS/Cal State Long Beach) at the top of the box. Getting off a hard shot, Anaya-Webb saw the ball deflect off a Santa Rosa defender's back and into the net past the goalkeeper.

Cerritos increased their lead to 2-0 in the 57th minute, as Requejo dribbled into the box and was preparing to square up for a shot. Before attempting the shot, Requejo was fouled and she converted the penalty kick. Santa Rosa cut the lead in half just three minutes later, as the Falcon defense had difficulty trying to clear the ball. A subsequent turnover resulted in a goal, and Cerritos was looking to regroup.

The offense continued to work hard and it resulted in a late goal to secure the victory. With about a minute left in the game, sophomore Kassie Olivas (Laguna Hills HS) moved the ball deep into the Santa Rosa side of the field, where she spotted Requejo in the middle of the field. Quickly reversing the ball, Requejo sent the ball to freshman Esmeralda Verduga (Ensenada BC, Mexico HS) on the right side. The quick-strike offense finished off the play when Verdugo sent the ball to Anaya-Webb at about the penalty box, and she redirected the ball across her body and scores into the far post.

Sophomore goalkeeper Adrianna Salazar (Downey HS) earned her second  win of the season, as she turned away a pair of first half shots.