In just his first season as the Cerritos College women’s soccer co-head coach, Ruben Gonzalez helped lead the Falcons to their best season in school history. He now returns as the head coach and is looking to improve on the team’s record, which established a new standard for most wins in a season. In addition to a solid second place finish in the South Coast Conference, the team won their first-ever post-season game and concluded the year with a 20-4-2 record. They finished the season ranked sixth in Southern California and 19^th nationally. Prior to coming to Cerritos, Gonzalez spent three seasons serving as the head women’s soccer coach at Rio Hondo College and led them to two Foothill Conference championships and a combined 44-11-1 overall record. In addition, his conference record was a remarkable 32-3-1, as the team won their conference championship in his first and third year, while they placed second the other season.

Gonzalez played his college soccer at Cal State University, Los Angeles from 1989-92 under the direction of former World Cup International Mexican National Team player Leonardo Cuellar. In two of his seasons at CSULA, the college played at the Division I level, with the last two being at Division II, while Gonzalez was an All-Conference defender. He then graduated from CSULA with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education.

Prior to coaching at Cerritos College, Gonzalez was an assistant coach at California State University, Los Angeles in 1993 before being named the head coach at Pius X High in Downey from 1994-95. He then moved on to St. John Bosco High in Bellflower from 1996-2000 as their assistant coach. In 1997, he became the men’s assistant coach helping to begin the first men’s soccer program at Rio Hondo College, which was the inaugural season for the team that went on to the state finals and ended the season ranked ninth in the nation. He remained at Rio Hondo College from 1997-2002 as their assistant coach and helped the team reach the Southern California regional Playoffs every year. While coaching at Rio Hondo College, Gonzalez helped to develop players that went on to play professionally, as well as at Division I and Division II universities. While coaching in college, Gonzalez has been actively coaching club soccer teams which include Whittier Soccer Club, Cerritos United Soccer Club and is currently coaching the San Gabriel Valley Flyers Girls Under 17 and Boys Under 15.

In 2002, Gonzalez became the head women’s soccer coach at Rio Hondo College, and went on to win the Foothill Conference Championship with a 12-0 record and 18-2 overall record guiding the team to the playoffs.  In 2003, Rio Hondo College just missed the playoffs with a 10-2 conference record and a 12-7 overall record. Then, in 2004, Rio Hondo was back in the playoffs with a 10-1-1 Conference record and 14-2-1 overall record.  Gonzalez left Rio Hondo College with an overall record of 44-11-1. In three seasons as a head coach, Gonzalez had one of the highest winning percentages in school history, which included a 32-3-1 conference mark.