On the heels of winning their fourth CCCAA State Championship in a row and third NSCAA National Championship in the last four years, the Cerritos College women's soccer team announced that four of their players have signed National Letters of Intent. The Falcons, who went 23-0-3 on the year, had only five sophomores on their roster. Of the four that signed, two of them were freshmen and will have three seasons of eligibility at their new schools.

A trio of players have signed with NAIA school Vanguard University in Costa Mesa. They include sophomores Malia Tilton (El Modena HS) and Megan Chlentzos (Beckman HS/Colorado Christian University), along with freshman Amber Whitmore (Los Alamitos HS). Signing with the University of Toledo is Jamie Peters (Bishop Amat HS). A fifth player, sophomore Victoria Hernandez (Warren HS/UC Irvine), is heading back to UC Irvine, but for academics only.

"I'm really proud of this group and the hard work they've put in during their time at Cerritos," said head coach Ruben Gonzalez. "We were a very young team this season and with some of the players who signed being freshmen, it speaks to their talent level on the field and success in the classroom."

Tilton (pictured, far left) was named 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-West Region, 1st Team All-South Coast Conference selection, as well as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. She 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. As for Chlentzos (pictured, second from left), she was a 2nd Team All-SCC selection and was another solid player on the defensive end. She posted a pair of goals and assisted on two others during the season. Whitmore, al all-conference honorable mention choice, finished third on the team with 17 goals and added six assists. She scored three of her goals in the post-season, including the lone goal in a 1-0 playoff win over Santiago Canyon College.

Peters (pictured, far right) was a 2nd Team All-SCC choice and was fourth on the team with 10 goals and third with 13 assists, which included a five-assist game during the season.

"Making the decision to sign with Vanguard consisted of several reasons," said Tilton, who spent three seasons with the Falcons after missing the 2014 year with an injury. "Having two teammates joining me is comforting because we already know each other. Our families will continue to be able to watch us play and it's a Christian school."

Chlentzos agreed with all three reasons and added that they were impressed with the campus and the quality of soccer played by the Lions.

"They were a good team last year and they feel that the addition of all three of us can push them to the next level of reaching the NAIA National Tournament," said Chlentzos.

Tilton has experienced a great deal of success while with the Falcons. In her two seasons on the field with Cerritos, the team posted a combined 47-0-4 record. She stated that having that extra year made her a better player and prepared her for the next step of moving to a four-year school.

"Playing at Cerritos has made me a much better player, both mentally and physically," added Tilton. "The coaches here are very dedicated to working hard on improving our skills. It's going to be weird not being around all of my teammates because we've become like family and we're very close."

Having the opportunity to play out of state came as a result of playing in a summer tournament in Spain last year. Her club coach received a call from new Toledo coach TJ Buchholtz asking if he knew any players who could join his program. Peters name was the first to get mentioned.

"They came out here to see me play a couple of games and I really liked what that had to say," said Peters. "After our season was over, I was able to take a trip out there and fell in love with the school, the people and the program," said Peters. "I was able to watch a training session and visit the campus and area and really was excited to sign with them."

"I know they would have liked for me to come play there last season, but I was already enrolled at Cerritos and committed to playing here," added Peters. "This was a memorable season at Cerritos and I think the coaches at Toledo were really impressed that I have won at the high school and community college level already."

The remaining sophomores yet to sign include Gabi Lamb (Yorba Linda HS) and Mariah Navarrette (La Serna HS), who are both weighing their options.