As a result of winning their fourth straight CCCAA State Championship and third NSCAA National Championship in the last four seasons, the Cerritos College women's soccer team is starting to see national awards coming in. Head coach Ruben Gonzalez was named the Division III (non-scholarship) West Region Coach of the Year, while top assistant Memo Gonzalez was selected the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

On the playing side, sophomore defender Malia Tilton (El Modena HS) was selected 1st Team All-America, as well as 1st Team All-West Region. She was joined on the All-America team by freshmen Carolina Jaramillo (Cetis 58, Tijuana HS) and Adriana Velasquez (Long Beach Jordan HS), who were 2nd Team selections. Both were named 1st Team All-West Region, while freshman goalkeeper Ruby Nichols (Bishop Amat HS) received 2nd Team All-West Region accolades.

"It's always nice to be recognized for the job we did," said Ruben Gonzalez, who received his fifth West Region Coach of the Year award. "All of the coaches and players worked hard all season, so it's rewarding to see them get individual honors. I think we have the best coaching staff, so to see Memo and I getting recognized is the same as the whole staff getting the award."

Last season Memo Gonzalez was selected as the National Assistant Coach of the Year, while Ruben Gonzalez (pictured, left) has been named the National Coach of the Year on three occasions.

Tilton was the anchor of a defense that allowed just three goals in five post-season games and helped the Falcons record 13 shutouts on the season. Jaramillo led the team with 28 goals, which tied her for second most in the state, while she also second in the state with 71 points. Velasquez played a key role for Cerritos in their success, as she was instrumental in helping the team maintain possession of the ball at midfield, which set up their offense. She finished fourth on the team with nine assists.

Nichols started every game for the Falcons in goal and recorded 13 shutouts, while posting 86 saves. She surrendered 16 goals and finished with an 0.65 goals against average.