The Cerritos College women's soccer team scored three first half goals on their way to a 5-0 non-conference win at Foothill College on Friday. The Falcons (4-0-0), ranked #1 in the country by the NSCAA, have now posted shutouts in their last two games. They will continue their non-conference season with their fifth road game in a row, as they travel to West Valley College for a 4:00 p.m. next Wednesday.

The scoring got started in the second minute when sophomore Amber Whitmore (Los Alamitos HS) slipped a pass through a pair of defenders to sophomore Natalie de Leon (St. Joseph HS), who finished the play by netting a goal. Cerritos made it a 3-0 game when they scored a pair of goals in the span of three minutes.

In the 19th minute, de Leon pushed the ball up the field in the typical up-tempo Falcon style of soccer. After working her way through a pair of Foothill players at midfield, she led the ball to sophomore Jill Messersmith (Newport Beach HS), who poked the ball in for a 2-0 advantage. Just two minutes later, freshman Itzel Ballesteros (Maywood Academy HS) controlled the ball on the right side until she spotted Whitmore in position in front of the net. She lofted a pass and Whitmore was there to volley the ball past the keeper.

The aggressive style of play paid off for the Falcons in the second half when Messersmith converted a free kick from the right side of the field and found the upper corner of the net. Cerritos closed out the scoring late in the game when Messersmith (two goals, one assist) found freshman Maria Hernandez (Sierra Vista HS) about 35 yards out. After receiving the ball, Hernandez dribbled about 25 yards and then finished the play with a goal in the 88th minute.

The Owls had just three shots on goal, with sophomore Ruby Nichols (Bishop Amat HS) making two saves in the first half and freshman Amber Jung (Los Alamitos HS) turning away the only shot in her first action of the season.