After leading his
team to their second state championship in three
years, Cerritos College men's soccer coach
Benny
Artiaga was named the National Soccer
Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III
(non-scholarship) Far West Region Coach of the Year.
Back in 2006, when Artiaga led the Falcons to their
first-ever state title, he was named both the Far
West Region and National Coach of the Year. The
four regional coaches of the year are eligible for
national coach of the year, which will be selected
on January 16, 2009.
"It is always a
great honor to be recognized by your peers for the hard work and
effort that's put in all year to help the team
accomplish their ultimate goal," said Artiaga, who
also heard that his team was ranked #2 in the nation
for the second time in three years. "I think having
our players honored is a great accomplishment, as
well. Of course, I would trade any personal
accolades for a national title. Because
ultimately, it was our guys who put in the work all
season."
The players
honored included sophomore defender
Jonathan
Rivas (Santa Fe HS), who was
named NSCAA Division III 1st Team All-America, as
well as freshman forward
Luis
Gonzalez (Long Beach Millikan HS),
who was a 2nd Team All-America selection.
Rivas anchored a
stingy Falcon defense that defeated Santa Rosa
College, 2-1 in the state semi-finals and then shut
out Mt. San Antonio College, 1-0 in the state
championship game. Cerritos, which finished the
season going 10-1-0 in their last 11 games knowing
they had to win all of their games to advance to the
playoffs, posted 12 shutouts on the year and allowed
just 12 goals in their final 11 games.
As for Gonzalez, he
scored all three of the team's goals in the state
tournament and led the team with 24 goals and tied
for the team lead with 17 assists for 65 points.
Throughout the season, Gonzalez displayed his
remarkable soccer skills and scored some of the
biggest and more remarkable goals of the year.
Last year,
sophomore
Michael Paz
(California HS) became the first Falcon
men's soccer player in the school's history to earn
1st Team All-America honors. Artiaga, Rivas and
Gonzalez will all be honored at the All-American
Luncheon, which will be held in St. Louis, MO on
January 17, 2009 as part of the NSCAA Convention.
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