What was once a rivalry appears to no longer be considered one. Always a tough opponent for the Cerritos College men's soccer team, Golden West College seems to no longer be a difficult opponent for the Falcons. Since 2017, Cerritos is 7-0-2 against the Rustlers, including a 6-1 road win on Friday. In their last three meetings, the Falcons have outscored Golden West, 11-1. It's a far cry from when the two met up in the postseason three years in a row from 2017-19, with the Falcons winning all three, including a 2-1 win in the 2018 3C2A State Championship game.

Next up for Cerritos (3-1-0) is a 4:00 p.m. game at Los Angeles Pierce College next Tuesday.

"The guys played well today," said head coach Benny Artiaga. "It was a tough game early on, but we made some adjustments. It was also a breakout game for Christian Ramirez (Bishop Mora Salesian HS), who had a hat trick."

Ramirez, who scored five times during the 2023 season, got the offense started in the 24th minute, as the Falcons scored three goals in each half. After putting the Rustlers (0-1-2) on their heels, goals by Gustavo Arias (Fairmont Prep HS) and Julio Portillo (Central City Valey HS/East Los Angeles College) before the end of the first half, made it a 3-1 advantage heading into intermission. Portillo also added a pair of assists, including the second goal of the game for Ramirez.

The game seemed to settle down in the second half, until Cerritos scored three times in the final 20 minutes to complete their dominant performance. Ramirez scored twice in a five-minute period, with his hat trick complete in the 75th minute. Then, in extra time, Alejandro Oropeza (Banning HS/Santa Ana College) closed out the scoring, as he picked up his first goal of the season.