Extended to overtime in the CCCAA State Championship game, the Cerritos College women's soccer team pulled out a 2-0 win over Diablo Valley College on Sunday at the Ventura Sports Complex. The championship is the fifth in the row for the Falcons (23-1-1), who now hold the state record for most championships in a row. They shared the record with Long Beach City College, who won four in a row from 2000-03. The all-time state record for most consecutive title is 12, held by the Golden West College women's volleyball team (1993-2004). This was the first state appearance for Diablo Valley.

"We're a battle-tested team and it came through today," said head coach Ruben Gonzalez. "Diablo Valley came out with a good defensive game plan and they were well-prepared. We had a several chances and when we missed out on them, we needed to come out in overtime with a sense of urgency. We know we play with a target on our backs, but we have been able to come through.

Early in overtime, that sense of urgency finally paid off, as the Falcons continued to put pressure on Vikings (17-2-6) goalkeeper Katie McLaughlin, who was credited with 17 saves. It was in the 97th minute, where freshman Maria Hernandez (Sierra Vista HS) was able to steal the ball about 30 yards out and dribbled inside the box, where she got off a shot that went under the crossbar and put the team on the board. It was the eighth goal of the season for Hernandez (pictured, left).

That seemed to loosen the team up, as they recorded four more overtime shots. They clinched the championship with less than two minutes left when sophomore Carolina Jaramillo (Cetis 54, Tijuana HS) jumped on another save by McLaughlin and scored an insurance goal. The play started with sophomore Ashli Villalobos (Mayfair HS/Cal State Los Angeles) working inside for a point blank shot that McLaughlin turned it away. But the rebound landed in front of Jaramillo and last year's Most Valuable Player put the ball away.

The Falcons had several shots careen off the crossbar, with Jaramillo's hitting in the 20th minute and sophomore Natalie de Leon (St. Joseph HS) watching her header hit the crossbar in the 84th minute. It was the play of McLaughlin that kept the Vikings in the game, while Cerritos goalie Ruby Nichols (Bishop Amat HS) was asked to make just two saves.

Assisting Nichols on the day was a solid group of defenders, led by sophomore Dana Jacobs (Yorba Linda HS/San Francisco State University), whose play earned her the tournament's Most Valuable Player award. She helped clear the ball away when the Vikings tried to put pressure on the Falcons and limited them to just seven shots, compared to 32 for Cerritos.

The game could have been a forgone conclusion in the first half, but McLaughlin posted save after save for Diablo Valley. She turned away eight shots, including sophomore Amber Whitmore (Los Alamitos HS) just three minutes into the game, as well as freshman Itzel Ballesteros (Maywood Academy HS) in the 26th minute. Her best save came against Ballesteros in the 29th minute when McLaughlin dove to stop Ballesteros' shot and kept the game scoreless right before halftime when she stopped de Leon front point blank range.

"I thought we did a good job of maintaining our composure when our shots weren't going in," added Gonzalez. "And defensively, Dana was excellent, which is why she deserved the MVP award. I thought YG (Yaqualin Garcia) did a very good job up until the time she got hurt and then Laura Aquije (Warren HS) came on and played very well. 

BY THE NUMBERS

7 - State Championships (2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

23 - Wins this season (School record 24 wins in 2007, 2008, 2014)

94 - Wins in the last four seasons (94-2-5)

116 - Wins in the last five seasons (116-4-7)

25 - Post-season unbeaten streak over the last five years (24-0-1)

Photos by Daryl Peterson