El Camino downs Cerritos; Heads to state tournament and will join Hartnell, American River and host Mt. SAC

CCCAA MEN'S SOCCER REGIONALS
Hartnell 2, De Anza 1
Mt. San Antonio 2, Golden West 0
American River 1, Cosumnes River 0
El Camino 2, Cerritos 1

State Championship Bracket

NORWALK - After playing three games at Cerritos College this season, the El Camino College men's soccer team got their second win in three chances but also the most important win of them all on Saturday afternoon in the third round of the CCCAA Southern California Regionals. 

The No. 3 seeded Warriors (19-4-1) defeated their conference rival the No. 2 seeded Cerritos Falcons (17-5-1) by a score of 2-1.  The Warriors are heading to the CCCAA State Championship tournament for the first time since 1992 when they won it all. 

The Warriors won the first matchup of the season in a 2-0 victory on November 2nd to close out the regular season.  The Falcons got their revenge in a 3-1 victory in the second round of the South Coast Conference Tournament Championship on November 9th. The Warriors got the last laugh after taking down the Falcons 2-1 in the game that mattered most.  

The Warriors took the lead in the first half after a goal by the team captain Justin Ortega in the 35th minute on a penalty kick. 

The Warriors doubled their lead in the 72nd minute after Mario Carlos scored on an assist from Ricardo Martin.

Cerritos would finally break through the Warrior defense to score a goal in the 80th minute.  

Luis Garibay had a huge game between the sticks for the Warriors.  He made 8 saves for the game including a crucial penalty kick save that preserved the win for the Warriors.

The Warriors advance to the CCCAA State Championship Final Four Tournament that will take place next week on December 3rd and December 5th at Mt. Sac. 

Mt. Sac was the other Southern California team to advance to the tournament after taking down Golden West College 2-0. On the north side, top seeded Hartnell college advanced to the tournament after defeating De Anza College 2-1.  The no. 10 seeded American River College are the other team from the northern side of the bracket to make it to the CCCAA Final Four. 

(El Camino College Athletics)

MT. SAC advances to state tournament for 12th straight year with win over Golden West

WALNUT - Edward Castro and Matt Palos combined for a goal and assist each as No. 1 seed Mt. SAC (17-2-2) handed No. 4 Golden West (13-3-7) a 2-0 defeat in the third round of the California Community College Athletic Association Southern California Regionals on Saturday. The victory earns the Mounties a spot in the CCCAA State Championships, which begin on Friday, Dec. 3, at Mt. SAC.

Castro scored the first goal of the game in the 17th minute on an assist from Palos, then Palos scored on an assist from Castro in the 86th minute to seal the win.

"This team has had a lot of challenges," Mt. SAC Men's Soccer coach Juan Sanchez said. "These experiences have given them a mindset in a whole different way."

Goalie Jacob Cardenas held the Rustlers scoreless on four saves in 90 minutes.

This is the 12th trip out of 13 last years to the State Championships for the Mounties, and 14th overall. On those occasions, Mt. SAC has claimed the state title five times.

South Coast Conference rival and No. 3 seed El Camino (19-4-1) joins the Mounties as the Southern California representatives in the state tournament. The Warriors upset No. 2 seed Cerritos (17-5-1) by the score of 2-1 to earn a spot in the state finals.

Joining Mt. SAC and El Camino to compete for the state title are No. 1 Hartnell (19-1-3) and No. 10 American River (14-6-3) from the Northern California Region. Pairings and game times have yet to be announced.

(Mt. San Antonio College Athletics)