Cerritos College has that championship feeling
Cerritos College midfielder Diego Alvarado (2) leaps for a header as they play San Diego Mesa in their game at Cerritos College on Friday. Cerritos defeated San Diego Mesa 5-1. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
NORWALK – With four California Community College Athletic Association State Championships in program history, the Cerritos College Men’s Soccer team has that title feeling again, with another great start to the season for the Falcons.
The 7-0-2 start has the Falcons as one of only three undefeated teams in the state this season.
Cerritos, with its last championship just four years ago, defeated visiting San Diego Mesa, 5-1, last Friday, (September 23), to remain unbeaten in non-conference this season.
Only one non-conference game (Norco, Friday Sept. 30) is left before the tough South Coast Conference schedule begins Tuesday October 4 at El Camino (7-1).
“To our teams’ credit, we haven’t dropped a game because of our competitive mode, where last year our freshmen had already dropped two games,” Cerritos College Men’s Soccer coach Benny Artiaga said. “This year our sophomores are making the adjustments and we’re perfectionists here.”
It took just thirty-two seconds for the Falcons to get the scoring started, as freshman forward Jason Alvarez passed the ball up to freshman midfielder Kobe Chavez who scored his third goal of the season.
“That was a beautiful play and was well-fabricated,” Artiaga said. “We started our more offensive lineup. We figured we could get a goal or two early.”
In the next 10 minutes, Chavez just missed a goal just over the top of the bar and took his third shot, but was offsides.
Chavez would go on to score his fourth goal of the season later in the first half.
Opponents’ goals are few and far between this season against a stingy Falcon defense, but for only the third time it happened and it was a quick shot and score in the 10th minute.
“What I’m a little disappointed in is the fact that we got a little casual and a little comfortable,” Artiaga added. “(Cerritos) felt like it was too easy. We have to do better and have more of a killer instinct.
“One of the defenders made a bad touch and gave the ball away.”
Mesa freshman forward, David Virgen, who had just come into the game, split the defense with ease and evened the score at 1-1.
The goal would be the only shot of the first half for the Olympians.
The Falcons, who previously won state titles in 2006, ‘08, ’14 and ’18, outshot San Diego, 23-3 in the game, missed an opportunity to re-take the lead on three more shots before sophomore forward Pablo Caparelli gave Cerritos the 2-1 lead after he got a running pass from Chris Corona in the 32nd minute. Caparelli is 14th in the state in scoring with five goals.
“It’s exciting, to be honest,” Corona said. “For me coming off the bench, I get to see the game and I know what I have to do. So, just watching these guys and being able to do my job too, it’s exciting.
“I think this team can take it all.”
Chavez, after a missed goal attempt by sophomore midfielder Uriel Sanchez, added his second goal of the half, on a loose ball and scored in the 36th minute for the 3-1 lead.
Cerritos would add to its 14 shots on goal in the 67th minute with an unassisted goal from sophomore midfielder Antonio Negrete for the 4-1 advantage.
The Falcons, who have scored five goals, three times this season, finished off the scoring in the 74th minute on a goal by Diego Cortes (Caparelli) into the right corner.
In the second half, the defense kept Mesa on its side of the field nearly all of the half, except for two shots.
The defense is led by sophomore Jaret Rocha and kept the Olympians at bay most of the game.
“I feel like our mids (midfielders) are very important,” Rocha said. “It makes me do less work.
“I’m very confident and once in awhile we slack off, but once we get the momentum going, we’re unstoppable.”
What they said:
Pablo Caparelli, Cerritos soph. forward: “I feel like our team is very good this year. We’ve been putting in the work and training.
We’re all going at it. I always say, the midfielders win the game. What I was always told, the defense wins championships and forwards win games.”
Christian Perez, Cerritos soph. forward: “Right now, we’re a brotherhood. We can all trust each other.
Our defense is really solid. This is the mentality this year – we want to take it (championship).”
Benny Artiaga, Cerritos coach: “I’m a coach that focuses on the little details. We look past one or two plays. We’re looking long-term and want this whole team to think alike.
Once we get into (South Coast Conference), it’s going to get really tough.”