Millikan’s girls soccer team celebrates their win over Long Beach Poly and their undefeated Moore League season in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s girls soccer team celebrate their win over Long Beach Poly and their undefeated Moore League season in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s girls soccer team celebrates a win over Long Beach Poly and their undefeated Moore League season in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly goalie Zadie Kuykendal gets the save as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Alexandra Rios (7) tries to kick the ball away from Long Beach Polys Lillie Hudak (16) in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Adelyn Murphy (8) tries to break away from Long Beach Polys Lily Montecinos (4) in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly goalie Zadie Kuykendal (8) look to stop the goal attempt as the Jackrabbits take on Millikan in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Rylee Zavala (42) tries to get the ball from Millikans Caoimhe Tighe (14) in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly goalie Zadie Kuykendal (8) can’t stop Millikan from scoring as the Rams take the lead 1-0 over the Jackrabbits in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s Ellie Carungcong (20) tries to keep the ball from Long Beach Polys Lily Montecinos (4) and Rosa Mallach (45) in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s girls soccer team dumps water on coach Tino Nunez as they celebrate their win over Long Beach Poly and their undefeated Moore League season in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Maired McGovern (10) kicks the ball away from Millikans Elle Aoun (31) in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Joanna Rodriguez (19) tries to keep the ball from Millikans Sarah Thout (17) in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Maired Mcgovern (10) and Millikans Elle Aoun (31) battle for the ball in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Millikan’s girls soccer team dumps water on their coach Tino Nunez as they celebrate their win over Long Beach Poly and their undefeated Moore League season in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
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Millikan’s girls soccer team celebrates their win over Long Beach Poly and their undefeated Moore League season in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — Millikan’s girls soccer team secured the outright Moore League championship long before its league game Thursday at rival Long Beach Poly.
Rams coach Tino Nuñez, though, remembers the feeling of watching the Jackrabbits celebrate winning the league crown on his team’s field last season.
Millikan returned the favor with a 3-0 victory to wrap up its second undefeated league title in three years.
“We talked about not being comfortable, especially kind of winning (the league) earlier,” Nuñez said. “I don’t know the last time, it usually takes the last game, right, to decide who wins the league.”
“We have something to play for. This year, that was always in the back of our minds and that was kind of a drive, the motivation, of like, ‘Hey, we gotta get it back.’ Credit to our girls — we didn’t want to lose here, we don’t want to lose against Poly.”
The Rams (14-4-1, 12-0-0) will head into the CIF Southern Section playoffs with a shutout victory in all but one win this season. Millikan closed the regular season without giving up a goal in the final six contests.
Poly registered just one first-half shot attempt and produced nothing else the rest of the evening.
Millikan last allowed a goal three weeks ago in a 3-0 nonleague loss at Orange Lutheran. The Rams gave up just one goal in league play, outscoring their opponents 88-1 en route to the perfect mark.
“When we talk about playoff soccer, you gotta give yourself a chance,” Nuñez said. “If you’re not allowing goals, then you’re always there in games.”
The Rams got a goal in the opening minute from Ellie Carungcong and second-half goals from Caoimhe Tighe and Adelyn Murphy. Carungcong and Alexandra Rios each recorded an assist.
Poly (6-7-1, 6-4-1) got a valiant effort from goalkeeper Zadie Kuykendal, who made six of her eight saves in the first half to keep the Jackrabbits within 1-0 at halftime.
In the 35th minute, Kuykendal preserved the one-goal deficit after making back-to-back saves just seconds apart.
“She played amazing,” Poly coach Angel Zavala said. “She’s really stepped it up this season. The score doesn’t really determine the way we played. I think we played really well.”
At the start, however, Carungcong caught Poly flat-footed and rocketed a shot from the right side that hit Kuykendal in the hands before trickling into the net.
Carungcong, a sophomore, said it was a nice early boost to give her team’s stout defense. She added it was “really special” to contribute in her first season with the team.
The Jackrabbits will close the regular season Tuesday at Compton.
Zavala said his players are looking to create their own momentum heading into the postseason.
“We were moving the ball around really well,” Zavala said. “Take a deep breath, get ready for the next game and just get ready for playoffs.”
Playoff pairings will be announced Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.