Micah Rossen’s golden goal lifts Harvard-Westlake boys soccer to victory over Bell in Division III regional final

STUDIO CITY — Golden goal.

Those two words define the most electric and exhilarating end to a soccer match.

In the CIF Southern California Regional Division III boys soccer final Saturday, those two words determined who raised the title and who walked off the pitch heartbroken.

Harvard-Westlake emerged triumphant, lifting the championship plaque following a 3-2 victory over Bell with a golden goal in sudden-death overtime.

The match featured dramatic goals, including ones in the opening and final minutes of regulation, as well as a penalty that allowed Bell to tie it 1-1.

Harvard-Westlake quickly responded in extra time, with senior Micah Rossen scoring the goal that secured the championship for the Wolverines.

Rossen scored two goals that changed the tide in his team’s favor. His first came in the second half, a high-flying header off a cross from fellow senior Theo Ottosson. But it was his second goal, scored in the blink of an eye in overtime, that sealed the deal for the Wolverines.

“I just knew the ball was coming to me somehow, someway,” Rossen said. “I just got on to it and the rest was up to me and my luck.”

After the victory, Rossen reflected on his time at Harvard-Westlake. There were highs and lows, including rehabbing a fractured tibial tubercle and winning 2024 Mission League Offensive Player of the Year honor, with Saturday night’s victory the icing on the cake.

“I’ve grown up with these guys, these guys are my closest friends,” Rossen said. “I can never be more proud to be part of a team like this, have a year like this and win this with them.”

Ottosson, who assisted Rossen’s first goal, opened the scoring for the Wolverines. The University of Penn commit showcased his speed and offensive threat throughout the contest. On his opening goal, he received a through-ball from senior midfielder Race Serota, beat his defender with his speed and slotted the ball into the low-right corner.

Rossen and Ottosson capped four years of playing club and high school soccer together Saturday’s championship. Their dynamic on and off the field worked wonders in the midfield and attack.

“(Theo) had a tough time with the fires, and he lived with me, so he’s like a brother to me now,” Rossen said. “Whenever he looks up I know I could get the ball and play with him, we just have that kind of bond.”

Bell played a strong and energetic game, taking the Wolverines to the very end in the program’s first regional championship game.

Senior forward Erick Grimaldo scored both goals for Bell.

Bell junior goalkeeper Edgar Arias made the most difficult saves look easy, his athleticism and agility allowing him to move fast and make remarkable saves.

The Wolverines’ roller-coaster win in the championship game marked the end of a roller-coaster season that the team’s players, coaches and fans aren’t likely to forget.