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Making
their first appearance in the State Championships, the
Cerritos College women's soccer team moved one step
closer to winning their first championship after
defeating Fresno City College, 3-0 on Friday morning at
Ramirez Field on the campus of Fresno Pacific
University. The win advances the Falcons (23-2-3) to the
championship game on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. against
defending state champion Santiago Canyon College
(26-0-0), who defeated De Anza College, 3-0, in the
other semi-final game on Friday. The loss ends the Rams
season at 19-5-4.
Despite cold
and rainy conditions, the Falcons made it a point to put
as much pressure on the Ram defense as possible.
Cerritos head coach
Ruben
Gonzalez was confident that his defense was rock
solid and felt that getting on the board first would
give his team a distinct advantage, both on the field
and psychologically. It almost came to fruition in the
second minute of the game, as freshman
Corina
Villegas (Perris HS) sent a hard shot after
racing down the left side that just missed the corner of
the net. Then, just three minutes later, freshman
Monique Cisneros (Mayfair HS) was stopped on a
diving save by Fresno City goalkeeper Barbara Hansen.
Possessing the
ball nearly 90% of the time in the first half finally
led to a pair of goals by an unlikely source. Freshman
Beatriz Cornejo (Bellflower HS), who has spent
the majority of the season as a defender, was in the
right spot at the right time and it paid off for
the Falcons. With Cisneros and Villegas providing the
majority of shots on the Ram defense, Cornejo was able
to pounce on a rebound off a shot by Villegas and scored
in the 32nd minute to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. After
Hansen made a diving save, Cornejo, who was following on
the play, chipped in the rebound for her second goal of
the season.
Prior to the
end of the first half, the two would strike again. This
time, Villegas, who tied two school records in the game,
recorded her 17th assist after she sent a pass toward
the box. Cornejo was there to get the loose ball and
turned and shot in one motion, with the ball edging past
Hansen for a 2-0 lead in the 44th minute.
At the outset
of the second half, the Rams turned on the offensive
pressure, requiring freshman goalkeeper
Chantal
Cervero (Cerritos HS) to make two quick saves in
the opening minutes. Fresno City even had a goal
disallowed due to an offside call, while the Falcons had
one disallowed later in the game.
After
surviving the offensive surge by the The Rams,
Cerritos regained possession of the tempo and put the
game out of reach with a goal in the 57th minute. While
clearing the ball out of the Falcon offensive zone,
freshman
Samantha Ramirez (California HS) saw her pass
land on the foot of a streaking Villegas, who scored
into the lower corner of the net after getting a good
look at the goalkeeper's position. The goal by Villegas
was her 32nd of the season, which ties the
single-season record established in 1996 by Kelly
Walker.
Fresno City
0 0 0
Cerritos 2 1 3
Game Scoring:
Fresno City: None
Cerritos: Beatriz Cornejo (32nd minute, unassisted),
Beatriz Cornjo (44th minute, Corina Villegas assist);
Corina Villegas (57th minute, Samantha Ramirez assist).
Shots on Goal:
Fresno City: 2
Cerritos 8
Keeper Saves:
Fresno City: Barbara Hansen - 5
Cerritos - Chantal Cervero - 2
Records:
Fresno City: 19-5-4 (Seeded #1 North)
Cerritos: 23-2-3 (Seeded #3 South) |
