M. Soccer: Road win at Mt. San Antonio biggest of the season

Falcon men's soccer celebrates after 2-0 win over Mt. SAC
Falcon men's soccer celebrates after 2-0 win over Mt. SAC

Taking an eight-game unbeaten streak to Mt. San Antonio College on Tuesday night, the Cerritos College men's soccer team kept that streak alive with an impressive 2-0 win. The Falcons (13-2-1, 7-0-0) also posted their sixth straight shutout and eighth in the last nine games, while they also ended the Mounties (11-2-1, 5-1-1) 10-game unbeaten streak, as well as their five-game shutout streak. The victory also clinched the South Coast Conference South Division championship for the Falcons.

Additionally, in the latest state poll that came out, the Falcons were tied for sixth, while Mt. SAC was ranked #2, while they were also ranked #6 in the country by the United Soccer Coaches. The win over catapults Cerritos to the #2 spot in the state in power points, as they will now travel to Long Beach City College for a 3:00 p.m. game on Friday.

The young Cerritos squad showed composure taking on a more seasoned Mounties program on their own field. They kept the pressure on Mt. San Antonio from the outset and make a huge statement right before halftime. With about five minutes remaining, sophomore Martin Velasquez (Paramount HS) received a pass from sophomore Armando Ibarra, Jr. (Downey HS) and was able to get a shot past the Mounties keeper, which seemed to energize the Falcons even more and take some of the win out of Mt. SAC.

Along with their offensive aggressiveness, Cerritos also relied on the superb play of freshman Alex Ledesma (Bellflower HS), who extended his shutout streak to 480 minutes after making five saves, with three of them in the second half. 

With time running out in the game, the Falcons secured the victory with a dagger in the 75th minute. Freshman Pablo Caparelli (Real Salt Lake Academy, UT HS), who had scored a goal in each of the last three games, placed a beautiful pass to freshman Arnold Castillo (Bell Gardens HS), who scored his fourth goal of the season.