Looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss on Tuesday, the Millikan boys soccer team defeated Lakewood 3-1 Thursday afternoon at DeHaven Stadium.
The Rams (10-4-2, 8-2-2 Moore League) got off to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Christian Palacios.
Lakewood quickly answered to tie the game at 1-1 after the first half.
The Rams took control in the second half after a goal from Isaac Chavez to give Millikan a 2-1 lead. Senior Jesus Moreno added some cushion for the Rams when he connected on a penalty kick to give the Millikan a 3-1 lead.
After their loss to Cabrillo on Tuesday, Moreno said the team was ready to get right for the playoffs and didn’t think too much about the Moore League implications of their game.
“We had to come out and get the win,” Moreno said. “We always want to get a home game for CIF and I think this will help us get that. We were playing for that, we weren’t worried about the other teams. We were just worried about getting to a home game for our fans.”
It’s been a whirlwind season for a Lakewood team that wasn’t sure if they’d be able to field a team when it was announced that there would be a league season.
“It’s been tough since the beginning,” Lakewood coach Alex Diaz said. “Two weeks before league started, they were like, ‘Hey, we’re having a season.’ I only had like six kids cleared. I wasn’t sure if parents were going to allow their kids to play and we only had nine to ten kids showing up to practice.”
With a 6-4-2 record and a 5-4-2 finish in league play, Lakewood was a surprise team in the Moore League after the uncertainty the team faced.
“I expected us to compete,” Diaz said. “They really put themselves into a position where they wanted to make the playoffs and they ended up in the top four and they proved to themselves they could do it. For them, they earned a little respect and prove they could play with the top schools.”
