Men's soccer team battles with Cerritos College to continue win streak

The El Camino College men’s soccer team extends its winning streak to eight games after defeating the Cerritos College Falcons 2-1 in a physical away game on Oct. 6.

EL Camino started the game off with control of the ball and as the Warriors hunted for ways to attack the Falcon’s defensive formation.

Both teams missed early goal and free-kick opportunities as the defenses prevailed.

The first goal of the game came early in the first half when El Camino defender Aldahir Rua scored with open space, giving his team momentum.

“You can’t attack without a good defense…the goals come from setting up transitions from playing together on defense,” El Camino goalkeeper Donovan Palomares said.

Cerritos forward Chris Ramirez and El Camino defense Bogart Roca fight over the ball during a men’s soccer game against El Camino at Cerritos College on Friday, Oct. 6. (Courtesy of Daryl Peterson, Cerritos College)

The Falcons answered back as Cerritos forward Chris Ramirez scored a goal from a fast push up the field following a missed kick by the Warriors with 15 minutes left in the first half.

The momentum shifted to the Falcons following the goal as their offense flowed with control of the ball causing the Warriors to scramble back on defense.

Following two stoppages for minor injuries to El Camino defender Bogart Roca and Cerritos defender Kevin Meza, the Warriors had one more push down the field.

El Camino forward Marvin Gamez scored what would be the game winning goal after the ball rebounded in the Falcons’ goalie box with three minutes remaining before the half.

Cerritos midfielder Adrian Aguilar and El Camino defense Bogart Roca fight over the ball during a men’s soccer game against El Camino at Cerritos College on Friday, Oct. 6. (Courtesy of Daryl Peterson, Cerritos College)

The game ramped up in the second half as fouls were called and both teams had free-kick opportunities to score goals.

A total of 24 fouls and five yellow cards were given throughout the game.

Although the Falcons had more ball control at the start of the second half, their scoring opportunities never came to fruition as the Warrior’s defense and Palomares protected their goal.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in here…it’s always tough playing here [at Cerritos College] so credit for the guys for matching and sticking through the rough parts of the game,” El Camino head coach Mike Jacobson said.

A total of 24 fouls and five yellow cards were given throughout the game.

The Warriors fought hard to close the game out with a win after successfully saving goal attempts on multiple corner kicks and open looks from the Falcons.

“The [Falcons are] better than the record shows, we gave them the respect they deserved coming in,” Palomares said. “They came in with a lot of energy and we know we are more low energy so we knew that’s how the game was going to go.”

Palomares had four key saves in the first 15 minutes to help prevent the Warriors from starting the game off with a large deficit.

He has been a key part of the Warriors’ current win streak throughout the season with his communication on the field and athleticism protecting the goal.

“We always coach our guys to be good [one-on-one] defenders,” Jacobson said. “We followed too much today which made the game more difficult for us, we have to get better on defense and not give up as many free kicks today.”

The Warriors will try to extend their winning streak to nine games when they play against the Rio Hondo College Roadrunners on Oct. 10.