The562’s high school soccer coverage for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Long Beach Poly soccer alum Kennedy Justin
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
Soccer, like life, is cruel.
A game where one team can dominate another but the difference between a win and loss can come down to a pass being a little too far or a shot a centimeter too high.
It’s a game where one mistake can end everything.
Lakewood High found itself on the wrong end of this cruelty in heartbreaking final second 2-1 double overtime loss to Sultana in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 5 bracket.
The Lancers crawled their way back from a goal down to control the game for virtually the entire second half and overtime before allowing the 100th-minute winner. Sultana struggled to find much offensive rhythm outside of the first half, but made one final push in the waning minute of the second overtime with penalty kicks looming.
The late run yielded a final corner kick, the first of overtime and the second half for Sultana, a solid strike that took a bounce in the box to set up a soft header from captain Renee Abbott to the left side of the net.
The Sultans quickly exploded in celebration to their bench while the Lancers collapsed with exhaustion and emotion, tears falling moments later.
“Tough game to swallow ending it like this,” first-year Lakewood head coach Angel Ayala said. “I told the girls heads up high. It’s part of the game. We win some, we lose some, but at the end of the day we have to continue to work. And it’s hard for the seniors that are leaving, but hopefully it leaves a bittersweet taste in the girls that we have coming back next year, which is a lot of them. A lot of them are starters and hopefully we come back stronger.”
Lakewood’s best chance to end things late came just past the 91st minute with a brilliant run and a pass from Abigail Ramos and Giselle Barbosa to set a shot on goal for Kailee Phan, but stopped by Sultana keeper Laney Gibson.
It was the tale of two halves as the Lancers outshot Sultana 6-2 with four shots on goal to zero, a stark contrast to just one shot for Lakewood in the opening 40 minutes.
“I think it was just the speech that we had at halftime, and just having them understand that this could be our last game and having them come out hungrier and making sure that they understood that this is our home game. Nobody comes into our home and leaves with the win,” said Ayala. “If they are going to leave with the win, it’s going to be a tough one. So, they came out hungrier in the second half and it was a different team.”
The difference in the first came from the right foot of senior Cissy Men, who blasted a shot from 20 yards out on frame. Junior keeper Valentina Dominguez got a piece of the shot but it powered through to the back of the net for the 17th-minute lead.
The allowed goal lowlighted a tough start for the Lancers, who were also dealt a hefty blow in the 2nd minute with senior defender and captain Verity Moreno going down with a knee injury on a sideline collision. It was an emotional few moments before Moreno was helped off the field by trainers. She did not return.
“It was tough because right after that we went down, and I think the moment we went down it took us a little bit to find that momentum again,” said Ayala. “We found it and we continued from there, but it was tough. It was a tough adjustment. But I’m happy that the girls were able to adjust and continue.”
The Lancers refused to sink back after allowing the go-ahead goal and started to build up more of a presence in Sultana territory to end the first half, including their first and only shot, a dangerous strike from Layla Kawamura in the 38th minute.
Lakewood’s momentum carried over into the second half, breaking through in the 47th minute thanks to a free kick off a Sultana handball from 35-yards out. Ramos sent a direct shot to Gibson, but the keeper could not haul in the ball, which bounced to a wide open senior Heidi Reynoso for the equalizer.
“I was just so in the moment that I just shot it and I was just so happy. And it was just right there, perfect moment,” said Reynoso with a smile but also tears in her eyes. “I was just so happy that I put myself in that right position and made it count. But I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates. They also contributed to the goal.”
The loss will likely linger for quite some time, but it also speaks to the path Ayala has put the program on from a playoff team, a second-round advancement and literally seconds from a chance for a deeper run.
“It’s just really hard knowing we had a chance to make it to the next round, but I think we worked hard and we all came out here to try to win and do our best,” said Reynoso. “And in the end we didn’t win, which wasn’t what we wanted but I’m just grateful that we were able to make it this far, because the last couple years we haven’t. I’m just grateful to be able to play.”
“Last year I heard it was tough. A lot of girls didn’t want to play, wanting to quit. So, you know, for me, it was just having them enjoy the sport and have love for this sport, and everything will trickle down onto the field,” said Ayala. “And it did. It didn’t end our way tonight, but you know, the energy that they left out there tonight came from the beginning of the year, just introducing us and bringing a different energy to the program.”.
