The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The difference between Wilson and Millikan in the pair’s Moore League opener on Thursday was simple: Kai Fontenot. The Wilson junior and Miami commit piled on the game’s only two scores within the span of six minutes in the first half en route to a 2-0 Bruin win.
It’s Wilson’s fifth win over Millikan in league play since 2017, the most recent coming in the Bruins Moore League championship season in 2022. The last time they earned a shutout win over the Rams was a year earlier in 2021.
“Starting off the season with such a positive note is gonna bring so much confidence to all of the players on the team,” said Fontenot. “It’ll help us step up for the rest of the season on that note with Poly coming up in two weeks.”
“Millikan’s always a tough opponent but these girls have bought into our motto of work hard. If you see our star players working hard, everyone else is feeding off of it,” added Wilson coach Brian Irvin. “We’re going to be a giddy and tough team. They’re a handful and they showed it tonight.”
It was your typical Moore League opener in a slow first half with the teams only tallying a combined six shots through the opening 30 minutes. That was until a set piece from Ryan Sorensen that ended up at the head of Fontenot for Wilson’s opening goal in the 31st minute.
It only took Fontenot six more minutes to find her next shot, one she’d take from 25 yards out on the right side of the field that floated over the goalkeeper for her second goal of the half in the 37th minute. Wilson went into the half up 2-0.
“Getting two goals against Millikan, it gives me a lot of comfort in knowing that I can score and help our team get a win,” she said. “We came into this game as a team and that was our goal to work as a team. I was just trying to be the best player I could be on the field for my team.”
Fontenet plays alongside her twin sister and forward Zoie, and the two juniors create a disruptive attack when on the field together. The pair have played on the same team since kindergarten and even announced their commitment to the University of Miami during the summer. After the game, Irvin credited both girls for the dominant package they bring as a duo.
“I mean, it’s both of them, Kai and Zoie. Do you see that connection?” he said. “I know Zoie was not on the scoreboard but she causes so much trouble. And playing alongside Kai, Kai was great. You see the versatility with her too and it’s a great luxury to have.”
While she predominantly plays centerback during her club season, Kai gets the opportunity to attack on Wilson’s offense among her many roles for the team. Fontenot says it was comforting to find some success this early in the season while playing on the attack, and she harps on her ability to be versatile anywhere on the field.
“I take a lot of pride in it. I want to help my team in every aspect,” she said. “If we’re down a defender I’m there. If we’re down an attacker I’m there. I’m happy to be able to help our team and any way and happy that coach is able to work me anywhere he needs me.”
It took Millikan up until the 27th minute to find its first shot, which ended up being the Rams’ lone shot on goal for the entirety of the game. The Rams found solid opportunities, including three corner kicks, but totaled just two shots in both the first and second halves as they were outshot 15-4.
That was in part due to a stout Wilson defense that kept everything in front of them in the second half and cleared off anything that came their way. Lyla Jordan helped fend off Millikan from defensive midfield, while center back Ryan Sorenson and right back Kylee Greenvance helped deflect and cut out the Rams counterattack.
“To get two goals on Millikan in the first half is huge, and then we just had to withstand it in the second half,” Irvin said. “I know [Millikan coach] Tino [Nunez] would have his group fired up for the second half, but they were able to do it. To get a shutout is very important for us.”
“You go down in a game like this and it’s hard to get out of that hole,” said Millikan’s coach Nunez. “In the first half you give up two goals, that’s a tough task. You’re asking your group to score three now [in the second half.] I think there’s a lot of work to do.”
Nunez is dealing with a young group of girls who have been tossed into the mix as they deal with a handful of big injuries and the absence of a big senior class last year. Nunez says that it’ll take time but he’s confident in his team’s ability to come together after their season opener.
“I think for them it’s about understanding what these games are about because it’s a new group. The quicker we’re able to learn from it and get to work and work on those little things.We just gotta get closer as a group, put the work in together, and we’ll get better as the game goes. We have a young talented group so the second they get together I think we’ll be able to do some things.”
Wilson will face Compton on Tuesday and will gear up for Long Beach Poly a week later on Dec. 17. Millikan will play Cabrillo next Thursday and will rematch Wilson on Jan. 14.
