In their two games at the one-day Cerritos Tournament on Friday, the Cerritos College women's water polo team ended up getting defeated twice. The Falcons (5-8) opened the morning with a 13-8 loss to Citrus College and were then beaten, 17-5 by Orange Coast College (13-2). The team will now host Pasadena City College in a 3:00 p.m. South Coast Conference match on Wednesday.

Cerritos vs. Citrus: Locked in a tight battle with the Owls (4-8) through the first three quarters, the Falcons were unable to maintain any kind of offensive attack, as were outscored, 4-1 in the fourth quarter. It was a 4-4 match after the first quarter and after sophomore Miranda Alvarez (Schurr HS) scored an early power play goal in the second quarter, Cerritos led, 5-4. That would be their last lead of the day, as the Owls scored three straight goals in the period and opened the second half with the first goal. Down, 8-5, Romero scored and after sophomore Jillian Crockett (Cerritos HS) scored on a power play goal with :04 seconds left in the third quarter, Cerritos trailed, 9-7 going into the fourth quarter. Keeping the team in the game was freshman goalkeeper Alyssa Sorrell (Bell Gardens HS), who recorded 18 saves and now ranks second in the state with her 133 saves.

Cerritos vs. Orange Coast: Facing the #4-ranked team in the state, the Falcons struggled to counter against Pirates, who opened a 6-2 lead through the first quarter. A collapsing defense by Orange Coast prevented Cerritos from getting off shots on numerous possessions, as shot clock violations, along with turnovers stymied the team. Alvarez (four steals) and Romero scored twice for the Falcons, with Kaya Glynn (Cerritos HS) and Melissa Prata (Downey HS) each posting a trio of steals. Sorrell continues to rank second in the state with 142 saves, after posting nine against the Pirates, with Romero in second place with 51 goals.

Photos by Daryl Peterson