With their chance at winning the South Coast Conference right in front of them, the Cerritos College men's soccer team saw that opportunity become very slim after their 3-0 loss to Mt. San Antonio College last Friday. But the Falcons rebounded to post a 4-1 South Coast Conference win at ECC Compton Center on Tuesday to keep them within striking distance of a share of the title with the Mounties. A Cerritos win on Thursday over host East Los Angeles College, coupled by a Mt. SAC tie against Pasadena City College would mean the Falcons would be co-champions. Regardless, the team will be one of the higher seeds for the upcoming Southern California Regional Playoffs, which get underway on November 19.

In the win over ECC Compton Center, the Falcons (17-2-1, 11-2-0) didn't even give their host a chance to touch the ball, as they went in and scored a goal :37 seconds into the game. Freshman Angel Ayala (Cabrillo HS) took the ball and found a streaking Daniel Garcia (Artesia HS) for the quick goal. It wasn't until the start of the second half that Cerritos scored their second goal, but their play in he first half gave them the momentum needed to post a solid win. That second goal came when sophomore Aaron Macedo (South Gate HS) made a great first move and fed freshman Danny Castro (Bell HS) with a nice pass that was converted into a goal in the 50th minute.

The third goal came when Castro, again making a move on the outside, where he had the space to send a crossing pass, hit an open Brian Russell (North Torrance HS), who scored his first goal of the season. Garcia closed out the scoring in the 80th minute when his pass to Ayala on the outside of the 18-yard box was converted into a beautifully-placed shot. A late goal by Compton thwarted the shutout attempt for the goalkeeping duo of sophomore Danny Lizama (Duarte HS) and freshman Jorge Padilla (South Gate HS), who surrendered the late goal.

"It was really good to get back on the winning track", said head coach Benny Artiaga. "We've just got to make sure we finish season on winning note."