The Cerritos College men's water polo team held off Fullerton College, 13-11 in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Thursday. The tournament, being played at the Falcon Aquatic Center sends the #7-seeded Falcons (16-13) into the second round against #2-seeded Golden West College at 12:45 p.m. on Friday. The two teams faced off in the first weekend of the season, with the Rustlers (20-2) posting an 11-4 win at the Golden West Tournament.

In the win over the #10-seeded Hornets, freshman Marlon Moreno (Virgen del Rosario, Venezuela HS) scored five times to lead the way, while sophomore Miguel Garcia (Monetebllo HS) added four goals, with two of them coming on five-meter attempts.

Freshman goalkeeper Alfredo De La Mora (Bell Gardens HS) posted 11 saves in the win and added three saves, as he turned Fullerton away each time they looked to tie the score. Freshman Eugene Lee (Hacienda Heights Wilson HS) picked up a pair of goals, while sophomore Albert Lee (Cerritos HS) played strong defense with seven steals in the win.

Photos by Daryl Peterson