Just 48 hours after capturing their fourth straight CCCAA State Championship, the Cerritos College women's soccer team was named the NSCAA Division III (non-scholarship) National Champions. The Falcons, who finished last year ranked #2 in the country, were selected for the post-season honor for the third time in the last four years and fourth time in school history. Last year's national champion, Brookdale (NJ) Community College, finished this year ranked #2.

"It's always an honor to be recognized for your season's accomplishments," said Falcon head coach Ruben Gonzalez. "This goes all the way back to the summer when we started working out and all the hard work and dedication by the coaching staff and the players. They worked really hard from the very beginning and continued to come together as the season progressed. It was a little different this year because we had so many new players on the roster."

The Falcons completed their season with a 23-0-3 record, which culminated with a 3-0 win over Rio Hondo College in the state championship game. In each of their last four state championship games, Cerritos posted a shutout.

"We've been fortunate enough to get some really good players and some bounce-backs over the years," added Gonzalez. "Bounce back players make your teams better in the immediate sense, but then you only get them for one year. Being successful can be a double-edged sword because you find out who's here to compete and who's reluctant to compete for a position. Most days, our practices can be more competitive than our games. That goes a long way because it prepares us for the season and how tough it can be as we get near the playoffs."

The competitive nature of the Falcons practices have paid off, as they have now won their last 20 playoff games. Over the course of their four straight state championships, Gonzalez and his teams have posted a 93-3-6 combined record and finished the season riding a 44-match unbeaten streak (41-0-3), which dates back to last year. It also marked their third unbeaten season and second in the last three years.

"We have a good core of players coming back for next year," said Gonzalez, who will lose just five players to graduation. "Winning the state championship and being named the national champs this season is a little more special because this was such a young team. We'll be ready to defend the title again next year."