W. Soccer: Three players receive national honors

Claudia Lopez was named 1st Team All-American
Claudia Lopez was named 1st Team All-American

Just days after clinching their second straight CCCAA State Championship and #1 national ranking, the Cerritos College women's soccer team saw three of their players earn national honors. Sophomore midfielder Claudia Lopez (Downey HS) and sophomore goalkeeper Alexis Carrillo (Bishop Amat HS) were named 1st Team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) among Division III (non-scholarship) schools. Sophomore defender Alyssa Cabral (Bishop Amat HS) repeated her 2nd Team selection and was the only two-time recipient this season.

The Falcons capped their 2013 season with a 3-0 win over Santiago Canyon College in Sacramento on December 8 to earn their fourth state championship in the last seven years and third national championship in the past six seasons. It also marks the first time in school history that three Cerritos players received All-American honors and two first team selections. In 2012, 2008 and 2007, the school had a pair of players receive national honors.

As a result of their national awards, the three were also named 1st Team All-West Region and were joined by freshman Nayeli Requejo (Bishop Amat HS), who earned 2nd Team All-West Team recognition. Head coach Ruben Gonzalez, who was named the National Coach of the Year, is expected to be named the West Regional Coach of the Year, which would mark the second year in a row and fourth in his career.

The Falcons also swept the South Coast Conference honors, with Lopez being named the Offensive Player of the Year, Cabral the Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Gonzalez the Coach of the Year.

Joining Lopez and Cabral on the 1st Team were Requejo, sophomore forward Jasmine Cornejo (Artesia HS), freshman forward Carolina Ornelas (Artesia HS) and sophomore forward April Juarez (Bishop Amat HS/USC), with a quartet of players earning 2nd Team honors. They include freshman defender Malia Tilton (El Modeno HS), sophomore midfielder Lyanna Farran (Bishop Amat HS), freshman midfielder Clara Gomez (El Modena HS) and Carrillo (pictured).

Alexis Carrillo earned 1st Team All-American honors Lopez finished the season with a team-high 27 goals, including two in the state championship game, and 16 assists. Her 70 points are the third most in school history behind Monique Cisneros, who had 82 in 2008 and Corina Villegas, who had 81 points in 2007. The 27 goals are the fourth most in a season Falcon history, while her 16 assists are tied for the seventh most. Carrillo concluded the season 17-0-1 and had an 0.43 goals against average while surrendering seven goals on the year. She posted five shutouts by herself and shared in 11 more during the season. Cabral was the anchor of the defense that allowed just 10 goals all year and recorded one assist on the season.

As for Requejo, she was second on the team with 26 goals and assisted on 14 others for 66 points. Her goal output is the fifth most in a season and she's tied for 10th for most assists in a season. Cornejo scored three times and assisted on eight goals, but was one of the team's most versatile players and was excellent at covering both ends of the field. Ornelas, the quickest Falcon on the edge, posted 18 goals and led the team with 17 assists, which are tied for the fourth most in a season, while Juarez finished the season with 19 goals and 13 assists. The quartet of players that posted double-digit goals and assists marks the first time in Cerritos history that the team has had that much depth.

As a team, the Falcons also broke school record for most goals in a season (120) and most goals in conference place with 79.

In 2012, Lauren Nanez was named 1st Team All-American for the Falcons as a sophomore and followed that by being named NAIA 1st Team All-American for Concordia University. Nanez, a junior, helped her team win the GSAC regular season and tournament championship for the first time in school history before they saw their season come to an end with a 2-0 loss in the NAIA National Quarterfinals to defending champion Lindsey Wilson (KY) College. On the year, Nanez posted eight goals and three assists, as the Eagles finished 18-1-3 on the year.