Center Hill holds off Long Beach to claim 5A boys soccer state title

Everyone knew it was going to be a defensive game.

And in the end, Center Hill came away with the 2-1 win over Long Beach to claim the MHSAA Boys Class 5A State Championship.

It is the Mustangs’ first state title in school history.

“Team effort all around we had a sub that scored the goal and a senior that scored the game winner,” Center Hill coach Andrew Yeoman said. “Long Beach pushed us until the end. They’re a great team and played like they’ve been here three straight years.”

It was a very defensive game as both coaches expected with the game standing scoreless at halftime and through 23 minutes of the second half.

Center Hill (16-1) only had nine shots on goal, while Long Beach had six.

The Bearcats struck first when Kevin Treminio scores off a corner with just over 16 minutes to go in the second half.

Center Hill answered quickly when Kuba Maszkiewicz scored off a throw in for the Mustangs to tie the game 1-1 just a minute later.

With just over eight minutes remaining in the game, a shot by Center Hill’s Braden Taylor was blocked by the Long Beach goalie, but Diego Valenzuela was there for the rebound to score and give the Mustangs the 2-1 lead.

“Diego was at the right place at the right time and is the heart and soul of this team,” Yeoman said. “Boys showed heart and won it at the end and I’m super proud of them. These kids have been working really hard and this senior class has set a legacy and have set a standard for this program.”

Long Beach, whose was in the 5A state title game for the third straight year, finished the year 14-3-3.

“I knew they had a tough team and we had a tough team and it was going to be a battle,” Long Beach coach Andee Wilburn said. “We’ve been going through working on stuff for the last two days and seeing what we could and couldn’t do. It is what it is. They are a good team and they came out on top.”

This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 10:25 PM.