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.
It had already been a cinematic playoff run for Millikan, and Saturday delivered the perfect final scene at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Having entered the CIF-SS Division 2 championship matchup with 10 straight clean sheets, it felt like all Millikan needed was one chance to go its way. That chance came just five minutes into the match, as sophomore Jayla Cortes buried an early goal that proved to be the difference, with Millikan’s defense rolling to yet another shutout to earn its first-ever CIF championship in a 1-0 win.
“We wanted to be the aggressors in the first 15–20 minutes and knew an early lead would settle us in. What a hit we got from Jayla, and then they did what we needed defensively to weather the storm. They say defense wins championships, and goals wins games, right? We were able to find the goal to win the game and now we’re champions.”
The title came in Millikan’s first-ever appearance in a CIF girls’ soccer championship, and it marked eight years since the Rams won their first Moore League title under the Nunez era, which also happened on the same field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Nunez, who is also the head coach of the women’s team at LBCC, said the championship was that much more special for the Long Beach native.
“It was just all the good omens coming together here. Eight years later, it’s our first CIF title here, so this is definitely a special place,” he said. “I somehow became the head coach here too, so to win it in my city and for the school I went to and to go through this ride here has been awesome, man.”
It didn’t take long for Millikan to break through, as the Rams were on the front foot in the opening minutes. Alexandra “Furby” Rios blocked a clearance and dribbled to the left corner before playing it back to Cortes, who took one touch and unleashed a shot from roughly 25 yards out into the far side of the net for the fifth-minute goal.
“It’s surreal, honestly,” Cortes said. “Being able to come this far and put that goal away, it’s just like, I can’t even put into words. Our defense is so good that I knew if I put that early goal away that we could hold on to win the whole game. Obviously that’s what happened and it’s just so amazing.”
Millikan showcased both its youth and depth early and often, using 11 substitutes, which was especially key on a hot 85-degree day. Including Cortes, the Rams started four sophomores and finished the game with 17 total players seeing the field, with a pair of freshmen and three sophomores also coming off the bench.
The Rams led the attempts in the first half, outshooting Ayala 5-3 and earning a corner kick to show for it. The Bulldogs, who had averaged more than three goals per game during their playoff run, still found their chances and put a pair of shots on frame through the opening 40 minutes.
Millikan played an aggressive second half despite holding the lead, dominating possession with the help of four corner kicks and some added physicality from Ayala. The Bulldogs were flagged for seven second-half fouls compared to just two for Millikan, including yellow cards shown to Alareese Serafica and Audrey Layaye.
One of those yellow cards came in the 47th minute, setting up a set piece for Cortes on the far right side. The ball ricocheted off Ellie Carungcong’s head before Rios’ second-chance header sailed just high off the football crossbar above the goal. The shot was one of Rios’ three on the night and second in the early minutes of the half.
“We got pushed back a little bit early on but we were trying to create some more opportunities in those deadball situations and the free kicks and corner kicks,” Nunez said of the second half approach. “We were trying to see if we could get a second one year or there but then time started coming down and we wanted to cut this thing off.”
It wasn’t easy to hold off Ayala in the second half, as the Bulldogs matched Millikan with five shots, three of which were on target. Ayala’s best chance came in the 77th minute when Jaelynn Hillenbrand intercepted a pass and fired a shot that deflected off Millikan goalkeeper Samantha Ortiz and ricocheted off the post. The ball then dropped in front of goal before Gissel Fang cleared it into the air and into Ortiz’s hands.
Ortiz finished with her 19th clean sheet of the season in 24 games, recording six saves as Millikan extended its streak to 11 straight matches without conceding a goal. The Rams are the first team to go an entire postseason without allowing a goal since Corona Santiago in 2020.
“I’m just so excited to see all of our hard work pay off,” Ortiz said. “Off the field, we’ve been building our connection, and we talk so much to make sure we understand each other as people. When we get on the field, we know how to work well together, so it’s just incredible to see all of that pay off and to celebrate like this.”
The championship victory comes as a breakthrough for a program that has consistently featured some of the best talent in the city while knocking on the door each year in the top playoff brackets. It makes the win even more special for seniors like Bella Nunez, who was sidelined all season with a knee injury. Nunez admitted it was tough not getting to play, but celebrated on behalf of everything that went into the win.
“All of the hard work this program has put in over the last decade has definitely led up to this, and that’s why coach tells me that I’m still part of this championship, because it’s the years prior that got us here,” she said. “That hard work paid off and got us here, and it showed this group of girls to keep working hard.”
“It’s the past players that set the foundation,” added coach Nunez. “We were always trying to make a program that’s bigger than any one player or coach, and it’s the support from the parents before, the coaching staff, and all the hours of work that go unnoticed. It’s the girls who came before that bought in and believed they could create something special, and now this group gets to experience that. This is for everyone.”
Millikan will now gear up for the CIF State championship bracket, which will be released Sunday. The first round will be hosted by the higher seed Tuesday at 5 pm.
