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 Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Down to the last 40 minutes on their home field, the Wilson Bruins had to trust the process. Despite playing three scoreless halves of soccer against Long Beach Poly, the Bruins always felt a goal was coming.
Thanks to senior Kai Fontenot, it did. And thanks to sister Zoie Fontenot, so did another.
That second-half brace from the Fontenot Family proved to be the difference as Wilson took home a 2-0 win on Senior Night, effectively locking in a second-place finish in the Moore League.
“I thought we were gritty when we had to be gritty, put away our chances finally in the second half, and so that makes us a very proud coaching staff,” said Wilson head coach Brian Irvin. “Now we have to kind of build on that, finish off league, get those positive wins, and see where we land in the playoffs.”
Wilson controlled the first 20 minutes of the match until the visiting Jackrabbits settled in, getting a few quality looks at goal. In total, the Bruins outshot the Jackrabbits 9-2 over the first 40 minutes, but four saves from Poly keeper Zadie Kuykendall kept things scoreless at the break.
The Bruins had honored their loaded Class of 2026 prior to the match, celebrating the 16 seniors on their varsity roster. Knowing this was the last guaranteed home match in their careers, they wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than a win.
“It’s our senior night. We’ve worked so hard for this, and we’ve tried so hard, and our halftime talk was really just motivation and bringing up the spirits,” said Kai Fonenot. “‘Hey guys, we got this. We’re the better team here, and we can put away goals, so just try your best and just put all your effort into this game.’”
Kai wasted little time in putting away a goal, scoring less than three minutes into the second half. After a long rebound came out to her, she took one dribble to her right, then from 27 yards away she brought her right leg around the ball and sent a high arcing shot on target. Kuykendall went into a full stretch and was able to get her hands on it, but it deflected into the side netting for the go-ahead goal.
“You miss every shot you don’t take, so…” said Kai, channeling Michael Scott quoting Wayne Gretzky. “Even though it wasn’t the best shot, I’m just happy that it went in. Because I think it brought some relief to our team, because it’s our Senior Night, and we were really anxious going into this game. So I think it just brought some relief and motivation to our team,knowing that we can win this game.”
That left Long Beach Poly chasing the game the rest of the way, and Joanna Rodriguez was the driving force for the Jackrabbits, taking all three shots for the visitors in the second half. But the Jackrabbits weren’t able to get into much of an offensive rhythm, and were called for 10 fouls over the final 40 minutes.
While the Bruins didn’t produce as many shots in the second half, they were certainly more efficient. Zoie Fontenot was able to put the game out of reach in the 86th minute, as she was able to get free up the right sideline, get past the final Poly defender, and was fouled in the penalty area on her way towards goal.
She stepped to the penalty spot and blasted a shot over Kuykendall’s head and into the back of the net. Though it wasn’t her preferred placement, the power on the shot made it unstoppable, and secured Wilson’s victory.
“I think it gives us a great bit of confidence. When we’ve played Millikan and Poly, we’ve struggled to get that goal,” Zoie said. “We put up a lot of chances, and I think today, being able to score in this big game shows us that if we just keep on working hard, it will come. So I think it’s a great motivator that when we play other hard teams, we can do it, and our perseverance will end up working out for us.”
Wilson seniors Violet Corona and Emma Jade Garcia combined for the clean sheet on Thursday, with Garcia needing to replace an injured Corona in the 27th minute.
The Fontenot sisters combined for 10 shots (5 on target) as Wilson held a 13-5 advantage in shots over the Jackrabbits.
The Bruins (9-4-2, 6-4-1) will be on the road for their last three games of the season, starting at Jordan next Tuesday. Poly (5-6-1, 5-3-1) will also be in action on Tuesday when they host Cabrillo.
