WESTWOOD– The Geffen Academy boys soccer team made history on Saturday, capturing its first-ever CIF Southern Section Championship with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Grace Brethren. The title match, held at the brand-new Wallis Annenberg Soccer Facility on the UCLA campus, marked a landmark moment for the fifth-year Bruin Soccer program.

Geffen took an early lead when sophomore Milan Valenzuela found the back of the net in the first half. Grace Brethren leveled the score soon after, and despite strong play on both sides, the match remained tied through regulation and into golden goal overtime.

In the end, the championship came down to penalty kicks — and freshman goalkeeper Arjuna Thiagarajan proved to be the hero, making two clutch saves to give Geffen Academy the edge. Senior Anthony Graeber then calmly buried the decisive penalty to secure the Bruins’ shootout victory. Gabriel Romanenko, Logan Sands and Zach Furner each converted their spot kicks to help seal the historic win..

The triumph capped a dominant postseason run for Geffen Academy, which posted four consecutive shutouts leading up to the final. The Bruins defeated El Monte (3–0), Walnut (2–0), Cerritos (1–0), and Fairmont Prep (1–0) en route to the championship match. Geffen finished CIF-SS play with an impressive 14–1–1 record.

“This was the perfect finish to the best soccer season we’ve had in school history,” said Head Coach David Collicutt. “I’m proud to lead our Bruin soccer players and to win a championship. To win it here in Westwood makes it extra special.”

The title-winning Bruins’ coaching staff also includes assistant coaches Kylie Kerr and Lauren Brzykcy, both members of the UCLA women’s soccer team.

Next up: Geffen Academy advances to the opening round of the CIF State Tournament next week, where they will face Sherman Oaks. Match details will be announced soon.