As the day’s temperatures increased, so did the deficit for the men’s soccer team. Cerritos scored seven goals in a span of 25 minutes en route to a 9-1 loss for EC at Murdock Stadium.
It is the team’s worst loss of the season.
The team will have a chance tomorrow as it plays against East Los Angeles 2 p.m. in another home game.
“This was definitely my worst game of the season,” Tony Sandoval, team captain, said. “(Cerritos is) No. 1 in the state. They were ready to play.”
The game quickly got out of control during the later part of the first half.
Cerritos headed into the second half with a 6-1 lead. The loss drops the team’s record to 2-3-1 in the conference. The team’s overall record is 6-8-1.
“In the first half, we made a lot of mistakes defensively and they tore us apart with their 1-2’s,” Eddie Barragan, assistant coach, said.
He added that Cerritos was just quicker and faster on both sides of the ball.
Three players for Cerritos scored two goals each for the team. Two of the goals were made on penalty shots.
Cerritos also made it difficult to create any kind of rhythm on offense. The Warriors were therefore forced to rely on defense.
Even though EC attempted an aggressive offensive strategy, Cerritos held the ball a majority of the game. Contributing to Cerritos’ success was its ability to intercept EC’s passes.
“Our subs came in and played great for us in the second half,” Sandoval said. “They almost never get a chance to play, so it’s good to see that they got an opportunity to play.”
Weather might have also played a significant role in the outcome.
The subs played more than usual and many Warriors looked winded and tired, especially in the second half when the game was all but over.
“We were outplayed and outclassed. They were the better team, the more superior team,” coach John Britton said. “I think we came out and played nervously.”