The562’s middle school sports coverage is sponsored by the Long Beach Century Club.
The Hughes Owls defeated the Rogers Mustangs in a dramatic penalty shootout after a scoreless 0–0 draw through regulation and overtime, capturing the All-City Middle School Girls’ Soccer Division 1 Championship in a tightly contested defensive battle.
“That was the best game we’ve played all year by far,” said Hughes Coach Jason Beebe.
The Owls reclaimed the Division 1 title from the Stanford Hawks who had taken the championship last year, marking the end of a hard-fought season.
“We made it to the semifinals last year and we had been average before that, but these last two years have really formed the eighth graders into the players that have helped carry the majority of the team this year,” said Beebe.
From the opening whistle, both teams showed intensity and composure, trading possession and chances in a physical, back-and-forth match.
Hughes applied early pressure on shots from Taylor Moss and Serenity Brown, while Rogers responded with strong midfield play from Rowen Graff to help stabilize possession and slow the attack.
Hughes nearly broke through in the first half off a corner kick that rang off the crossbar, setting the tone for a game defined by near-misses and strong defensive plays. Rogers fought back with improved ball control as the half went on, eventually evening out possession before halftime.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with both sides creating chances but unable to finish. Rogers came close on multiple occasions, including a shot from Emma Henning that just missed and a dangerous look in front of goal that was blocked by the Hughes defense.
Hughes also continued to threaten, with several shots narrowly missing high or wide and two late breakaway opportunities that went unfinished.
This was very much a defensive game, with both teams’ goalkeepers getting a lot of action, especially Hughes sixth grader Inez Stone.
“This is the first time in five or six years that we’ve actually had a dedicated goalie, which has been amazing in helping out our defenders and eventually being able to close out the game today,” said Beebe.
Despite the chances, neither team could break through, sending the match into scoreless overtime.
Extra time remained just as tight, highlighted by a key save from Stone on a Rogers attempt, but no team came away with a goal.
With the championship still undecided, the match went to penalty kicks.
“Entering the shootout I feel like we weren’t panicked but instead confident,” said Beebe. “We knew we had what it took to come out with the win”.
Both teams traded conversions through the shootout in a tense back-and-forth sequence, with Rogers and Hughes matching each other shot for shot. After several rounds, the shootout reached sudden death after Rogers missed a crucial attempt.
“It was a great showing from both teams, I thought Rogers played their hearts out and it ended up coming down to the last shot,” said Beebe.
Hughes capitalized on the sudden death opening, with Melanie Frias finishing the final kick to secure the win and the Division 1 championship for the Owls in dramatic fashion.
