Looking to win their third straight state championship, the Cerritos College women’s soccer team was defeated in the second round by eventual champion Santiago Canyon College. From 2007-08, the Falcons were state champions and captured the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) championship in 2008. Now in his sixth season as the head coach, Ruben Gonzalez has guided the Falcons to a 108-11-9 (.879) record and four straight South Coast Conference titles. After posting a 20-3-0 record last season, the team finished the season ranked #14 in the country, while they were the national champions in 2008 and ranked #2 in 2007. In the national championship season, the Falcons posted a 22-0-4 record and finished the season with a 5-2 overtime win over Santa Rosa College in the championship game. Their first state title in 2007 finished with a stunning 2-1 win over defending champion Santiago Canyon, who was ranked #1 in the country at the time. In conference play, Gonzalez has led the Falcons to a 52-5-5 (.879) record.

In each of his seasons as head coach, Gonzalez has led the team to the Southern California Regional Playoffs, while the team has won 20 or more games each season. In his inaugural year, they won their first playoff game in the program’s history, while they came within one win of advancing to the state tournament his second year. The team has gone from 20 wins in 2005 (ranked #19 in the country) to 22 in 2006 (ranked #15 in the country), 24 (ranked #2 in the country) in 2007 and then their unbeaten record and national title in 2008.

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. His combined coaching record at both colleges is 130-22-5, while he is 74-8-4 in conference play.

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.