In the first period, the Cerritos College men's water polo team did not miss a shot, as they opened up a 9-3 lead over visiting Merced College on Thursday night. The end result was a solid 22-7 non-conference victory, which extended the team's winning streak to five in a row for the Falcons (11-6). The team will host a one-day tournament a week from Friday and host Palomar College (1:50 p.m.) and West Valley College at 4:50 p.m. 

After spotting the Blue Devils (2-19) an early 1-0 lead, Cerritos scored their first four goals on the man advantage, while they added a 5-meter goal to help them open a substantial lead. Eight different players accounted for the team's nine first period goals, while the Falcons went into intermission with a 15-5 advantage. Freshman Christian Acosta (Schurr HS) scored the team's final three goals in the first half and led the team with five goals on the night.

Sophomore Johan Gaytan (Downey HS) scored his two goals to start the third period, with sophomore Martin Gonzalez (Western HS/Cypress College) opening the fourth period with two straight goals, as Cerritos scored their goals in bunches.

The team utilized all three of their goalkeepers on the night, with freshman Aiden Parra (California HS) playing the second and third periods, while he turned away six shots.

Eleven different players scored for the Falcons, with Gonzalez and Ruben Martinez (Western HS) each adding three goals, while a trio of players scored twice.

Photos by Daryl Peterson