In two of the last three seasons, Benny Artiaga has taken the Cerritos College men’s soccer team to the pinnacle, as he has guided them to the state championship. Last year, they culminated a 22-4-1 campaign with a thrilling 1-0 win over rival Mt. San Antonio College. The win over the Mounties was the fourth of the season for the Falcons, who went on to claim the #2 ranking in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III (non-scholarship). Entering his fifth year as head coach (and 10^th overall), Artiaga is 72-19-15 (.750) and has already won a pair of state championships, including a 1-0 win over Taft College to conclude the 2006 season. In addition to his team titles, Artiaga was has also been named the Far West Coach of the Year twice, as well as the NSCAA Junior College National Coach of the Year in 2006. He has also been named the South Coast Conference Coach of the year in 2006 and 2008, while his team won the conference title last season after finishing in second place two years in a row.

After winning their first state title in 2006, the program produced their first All-American, as Michael Paz was named NSCAA/adidas (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Community College Men’s Division III 1^st Team All-American. During the 2006 state championship season, the team went 20-3-5 on the year and was ranked #1 in the state and #2 in the nation. In winning the 2008 title, a pair of players earned national recognition, as defender Jonathan Rivas was a 1^st Team All-American selection, while forward earned 3^rd Team recognition. Also, in the summer after the 2006 season, Artiaga was also hired as full-time Instructor/Coach at the college.

Now entering his 10^th year overall with the Falcon coaching staff, Artiaga was the lead assistant in the 2004 season, as the team finished the year ranked third in the nation and second in the state. He served as Interim Head Coach prior to the start of the 2004 season assuming roles with recruiting, scheduling, academics, budgeting and team management.

Artiaga holds a national Class B license from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), National Fitness Level 1 diploma, also from USSF, and an advanced diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). He has also been invited to serve on the USSF soccer training staff. After playing for the Falcons on their 2001 team, Artiaga remained with the team in a coaching capacity. Among his qualifications are participating many years of CSL and playing under two soccer programs (Cerritos and Long Beach City College), while during his time enlisted in the military, he captained the United States Navy team to a silver medal in the 1996 RIMPAC Hawaii Tournament against Chile and participated against various select regional teams across the country, including a 1996 Armed Services Cup.

Artiaga graduated from USC in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and an emphasis in Sports Journalism. He completed his Master’s degree in Kinesiology/Sports Management from Long Beach State in 2005 and is currently working on his doctoral degree in Sports Psychology from the University of San Diego for Integrative Studies.

Professionally, he has worked for the Los Angeles Galaxy and in the USC Sports Information Office under Mike Garrett and Tim Tessalone, while also working as a personal fitness trainer for the USC athletic department for three years training many athletes from various sports. Artiaga also serves on the coaching staff with the Los Alamitos High boy’s soccer team with Falcon assistants Donovan Martinez (Los Alamitos High boy’s head coach) and Raul Avellaneda (JV head coach). During his time there, the Los Alamitos boys have captured consecutive conference championships by going undefeated, advanced to the Division 1 final four and finished last year ranked seventh in the nation. He also coaches a U-13 boys BlackStars team with LBSC.

BENNY ARTIAGA’S YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD
                                                                                          POST
YEAR        HEAD COACH       OVERALL                CONFERENCE        SEASON
2005        Benny Artiaga      12-8-5                  3^rd Place         Lost 2^nd Round
2006        Benny Artiaga      20-3-5                  2^nd Place         State Champions
                                                                                         Ranked #2 Nationally
2007        Benny Artiaga      18-4-4                  2^nd Place         Lost 3^rd Round
                                                                                                                      Ranked #6 Nationally
2008        Benny Artiaga      22-4-1                  1^st Place         State Champion
                                                                                                                     Ranked #2 Nationally