Fresh off winning their first California Community College state championship, the awards are now flowing in for the Cerritos College men's soccer team. The Falcons capped a 20-3-5 season with a 1-0 win over Taft College at Fresno Pacific University last Sunday, which included going 13-0-2 in their final 15 games and posting 1-0 wins in their final four games of the year.

    On the national front, the Falcons finished the season ranked #2 in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), as well as being #1 in the state.

    Second-year head coach Benny Artiaga stated, "Being ranked # 2 in the nation is something to be extremely proud of and I hope our guys put it in perspective as to what an accomplishment that was. Not too many programs get the opportunity to compete for the state championship and it was an experience we shall cherish forever. In a small way you're a bit disappointed because we thought we had a legitimate shot at #1, but in no way will that take away from what our kids accomplished."

     Staying with national awards, sophomore defender Marco Pulido (South Gate HS) was voted to the National and Far West All-American teams, which makes him the second Falcon ever to win the award, as Robert Ramirez was selected in 2004. Sophomore forward Joshua Meyer (Cerritos HS) became the fourth Cerritos player to be named Far West All-American, joining Pulido, Ramirez and Michael Padilla, who was selected in 2004. In a program first, Artiaga was selected the Far West Coach of the Year. At the state championships, freshman defender Eusebio Alvarez (Western HS) was named the Most Valuable Player thanks to his aggressive play and helping the team post shutouts in the last four games of the season.

    Within the South Coast Conference, where the Falcons placed second, Pulido was named the Co-Player of the Year, while Artiaga was voted the Coach of the Year. Joining Pulido on the 1st Team were Meyer, freshman midfielder Ivan Perez (Chaparral, NV HS) and sophomore goalkeeper Miguel Lopez (Vocational Tech, NV HS). On the year, Pulido anchored a defense that allowed only 15 goals all season, which was the lowest in the state, while he scored once and assisted on four others. Meyer, who was a key member of the 2004 team that played in the state championship game, led the team with 14 goals and 10 assists for 38 points, while Perez provided steady play at midfield in every game and used his booming leg to account for one goal and he assisted on seven others. After a late start this season, Lopez came on to post a 14-1-2 record this season with nine shutouts and a state's best 0.42 goals against average.

    Named to the 2nd Team were freshman forward Brian Alvarez (Salesian HS), sophomore forward Jessi Lopez (South Gate HS) and sophomore midfielder Juan Davila (Birmingham HS). Tied for second on the team in goals (8), Alvarez also added four assists for 20 points, while Lopez had five goals and four assists on the year. Although he didn't record any points this season, Davila was instrumental in marking some of the best players in the conference and helped get the offense going with solid passing.