Cerritos punches ticket to state championship game with 3-2 victory over CCSF
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Team Stats
| Game Statistics | San Francisco | Cerritos |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 10 (6) | 10 (3) |
| Saves | 0 | 4 |
| Fouls | 15 | 16 |
| Corner Kicks | 2 | 2 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
| Game Statistics | San Francisco | Cerritos |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 10 (6) | 10 (3) |
| Saves | 0 | 4 |
| Fouls | 15 | 16 |
| Corner Kicks | 2 | 2 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
San Francisco
| Game Statistics | San Francisco | Cerritos |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 10 (6) | 10 (3) |
| Saves | 0 | 4 |
| Fouls | 15 | 16 |
| Corner Kicks | 2 | 2 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
VENTURA - A strong offensive showing from the Cerritos College Falcons was too much for the Rams of the City College of San Francisco to handle in the semifinal round of the 2018 California Community College Athletic Association Men's Soccer Championship. The Falcons displayed a poised defense and a quick attacking offense to earn their way to a state championship contest on Sunday against Golden West with a 3-2 win.
In 2017, Cerritos was one game away from reaching the championship contest after falling to Taft in the semifinal round. This year, the state championship will feature two powerhouse quads from the south as the Falcons will face off against the Golden West College Rustlers on Sunday.
It was an evenly matched contest with Cerritos owning most of the time of possession in the first half and San Francisco taking control in the second half. Each team fired off 10 shots with CCSF earning six shots on goal to Cerritos' three.
Cerritos got the ball rolling early in the 22nd minute when Erick Gallinar located Bryan Villalobos on a threw ball in the box and buried a shot passed the Rams' outstretched goalkeeper for a netter.
The Falcons displayed some strong goalkeeping skills shortly after compliments of Jordan Aldama, who has been a staple for Cerrtios between the pipes all season. In the 25th minute, San Francisco attempted to knot the contest up at one score apiece, but Aldama had other plans as he made a highlight-reel save. San Francisco's Eruvey Arceta uncorked a shot from the near side of the pitch and attempted to bury the shot far post, but an outstretched Aldama denied him of the opportunity.
Cerritos was fueled by the strong defense and transformed it into positive offense production in the 33rd minute. Carlos Perez set up Kevin Diaz for Cerritos' second score of the contest. Diaz controlled a pristine pass from Perez and he promptly knocked in a shot from 15 yards out in the top-left shelf of the goal thus handing Cerritos a 2-0 advantage leading into the second half.
After a dominating first half, the Falcons continued to own the momentum. Bryan Ortega scored the team's third goal in the 49th minute by controlling a free ball in the box with assistance from Erick Gallinar.
With the scoreboard reading 3-0 in the Falcon's favor, the contest seemed to be out of reach for San Francisco. However, the Rams did not settle.
They began to mount a comeback after netting their first goal in the 53rd minute off of the foot of Shadrack Adom. He controlled a high, bouncing pass from Austin Ramirez that was lofted to him well beyond midfield. He gathered the pass and put a strong strike on it to push the score to 3-1.
In the 86th minute, Emmanuel Lara and Arceta linked up for another goal to make it a one-score contest. Despite San Francisco earning a handful of opportunities in the final minutes, a strong Cerritos backline did not budge en route to a 3-2 Falcon victory.
Aldama earned his 21st victory between the pipes after hauling in four saves in 90 minutes of action. Gallinar was the main facilitator by dishing out a pair of assists.
(Nicho DellaValle, Riverside City College Athletics)
