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 Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The Millikan girls’ soccer team rewrote the history books in 2026. The Rams won the program’s first CIF championship and advanced to the CIF State semifinals.
Before the Rams were hoisting a championship plaque and getting fitted for championship rings, they embarked on a playoff run Long Beach won’t soon forget. Their defense carried them to the title, but one moment became part of city lore. It caught fire on social media and quickly became one of the most-viewed highlights in recent memory.
The clip was watch millions of times and drew hundreds of comments praising the Rams’ teamwork and celebrating the creativity that makes soccer special.
That play, which is our Viral Moment of the Year, came during the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals against Bonita. After 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, the teams went to overtime, and the rest is history.
AJ Aquino and Alexandra “Furby” Rios connected on a dazzling sequence that was viewed millions of times across social media. The play began with Aquino controlling a pass before flicking the ball backward over her head.
The pass found Rios, who immediately redirected it with a backheel to a cutting Aquino. Aquino settled the ball and curled a shot into the far corner to give the Rams a 1-0 victory.
“I kind of blanked out,” Aquino said of her thoughts before the goal. “I just kind of saw the ball in the far corner and was like, ‘I got to get it.'”
That feeling was shared by coach Tino Nunez, who said it felt as though time slowed down during the sequence that sent Millikan to the championship match.
The goal instantly became one of the defining highlights of the high school sports season, showcasing not only individual skill but the chemistry and confidence that fueled Millikan’s historic postseason.
The Rams capitalized on the opportunity, defeating Ayala to capture the CIF-SS Division 2 championship before advancing to the CIF State Division III semifinals, capping the most successful season in program history.
