Locked in a back and forth battle with host College of the Desert, the Cerritos College men's soccer team opened their season with a 2-2 draw on Friday. The Falcons (0-0-1) will host Norco College at 4:00 p.m. next Tuesday. The result against the Roadrunners was a far cry from the 6-0 Cerritos win last season and extended their unbeaten streak against them to four games (3-0-1).

The game was played in miserable conditions, as the temperatures hit 108 degrees at game time. The start of the game was delayed due to a heat warning.

"Playing in this weather was a bit much, but not an excuse today," said head coach Benny Artiaga. "Our guys did enough to win, and we missed a penalty kick in the 78th minute. We are very young, but will continue to improve.

Twice on the day, the Falcons found themselves behind, as COD opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the game. Freshman Donavan Perez (South East HS) was able to tie the game at 1-1 just 13 minutes later and accounted for both of the team's goals on the day. Perez had a chance to put the team in front, but his penalty kick was turned away by Desert goalkeeper Luis Lucio.

Although they weren't able to lead at any point in the game, the Falcons peppered the Roadrunners goalkeeper all game long, as Cerritos doubled up on their shots against COD, 26-13. The Perez goal, his second of the game, made it a 2-2 score in the 71st minute and accounted for eight of the team's shots, with five of them on goal. Sophomore defender Kevin Meza (ASU Preparatory Academy HS/Northern Illinois University) took five shots, with four of them on goal. Cerritos took 19 of their 26 shots in the second half.

Sophomore goalkeeper Juan Pablo Camacho (Norwalk HS), who went 6-0-2 last season, made three stops on the day.