Appearing in just her second game of the season, Cerritos College women's soccer player Carolina Jaramillo (Cetis 54, Tijuana HS) made an immediate impact in her return. The sophomore, who was a 2nd Team All-American, 1st Team All-West Region, 1st Team All-South Coast Conference and the CCCAA State Tournament Most Valuable Player last season, needed just 1:20 to score against El Camino College in a 5-0 conference win. The team will travel to Mt. San Antonio  College on Friday for a 4:00 p.m. conference crossover game.

Jaramillo, who was the team leader in goals (28) and points (71) last season, played a role in the Falcons (10-1-0, 4-0-0) first four goals, including a penalty kick in the 32nd minute, which gave the team a 4-0 lead.

From the outset of the game, Jaramillo commanded control of the game and made one dribble to get around the final El Camino (7-2-3, 2-1-1) defender and found herself in front of the net to score her first goal of the season. Freshman Itzel Ballesteros (Maywood Academy HS), who was credited with the assist on the first goal, benefitted from a Jaramillo pass to score the second goal in the fourth minute of the game.

On that play, Jaramillo maneuvered around a pair of Warriors and then fed the ball to Ballesteros through the box, where she tapped in the ball for her team-leading 14th goal of the season. In the 21st minute, Jaramillo worked the ball toward the top of the box and lofted a pass to sophomore Natalie de Leon (St. Joseph HS), who deftly moved the ball through the remainder of the defense to line up her ninth goal of the season.

Taking on six defenders, Jaramillo was finally stopped when she was pulled down, setting up a penalty kick that she converted. In the second half, Ballesteros drilled a shot off the crossbar in the 72nd minute before sophomore Ashli Villalobos (Mayfair HS/Cal State Los Angeles) capped off the scoring in the 84th minute.

The team's second-leading goal scorer, sophomore Amber Whitmore (Los Alamitos HS) was moved back to defense with the addition of Jaramillo in the lineup. She helped sophomore goalie Ruby Nichols (Bishop Amat HS) earn the team's seventh shutout of the season.

Photos by Daryl Peterson