One of the keys to getting a good seed for the Southern California Regional Playoffs is winning road games against schools with strong records. On Friday, the Cerritos College men's soccer team did just that, as they posted a 4-1 non-conference win at Norco College. The Mustangs (7-3-1), who had won five of their last six games, saw Cerritos (6-2-0) score all four of their goals in the second half. The team will host Glendale College at 4:00 p.m. next Friday.

"We played very well all game," stated head coach Benny Artiaga. "It's a good signature win vs. a .750 (winning percentage) team. Our guys played hard and won almost all 50/50 balls. Giancarlo Morales (Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) played really well and Joshua Chavez (Ambassador School of Global Leadership HS) has been a rock for us on defense. The offense got going at a good time and came back from down 0-1 at half."

Sophomore Gustavo Arias (Fairmont Prep HS), who has come on strong this season as an offensive threat, played a role in three of the team's goals on the day. Trailing 1-0, Arias found sophomore Julio Portillo (Central City Value HS/East Los Angeles College), whose goal tied the game in the 51st minute. Sophomore Christian Ramirez (Bishop Mora Salesian HS) went on to score the eventual game-winning goal and also added an insurance goal, while Arias finished with three assists on the day.

Ramirez picked up his fifth and sixth goals of the season, with assistance from both Portillo and Arias, with the second of his goals coming in the 84th minute. Maintaining their offensive attack, the Falcons were able to finish out the scoring in extra time when Nathan Pineda (Santa Fe HS) chipped in a shot in the 90th minute.

Goalkeeper Anthony Gomez (Los Alamitos HS) was the recipient of the second half offensive outburst, and also made a pair of saves in the win.