Long Beach State Player Nets See-It-To-Believe-It Bicycle Kick

Sunday night’s women’s soccer match between Long Beach State and San Diego featured an absurd late-game goal to remember.

For some athletes, discovering their inner clutch gene in a game’s closing moments may not come easy.

Long Beach State’s Lena Silano is not one of those people.

The senior forward delivered a highlight worthy of a spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Sunday night, courtesy of some late-game heroics against San Diego.

With her team trailing 2–1 approaching the 88th minute, Silano found herself in the penalty area as teammate Elysia Laramie attempted to evade a defender. After Laramie made her way into the sliver of open space at her disposal, the junior booted a cross toward Silano, who elevated for an incredibly clean bicycle kick to tie the contest.

No caption needed @LenaSilano @espn | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/MlbQMZeehe

— Long Beach State Soccer (@LBSUSoccer) September 5, 2022

Judging by her reaction, Silano may have been more in shock than anyone that she pulled off the move. Nevertheless, the goal couldn’t have been a more textbook example of what it means to be poetry in motion.

While Silano’s goal did plenty to send the crowd into a frenzy, it did not result in a victory as the game eventually ended in a 2–2 draw to give the Dirtbags a 1–2–3 record on the year. Still, her unreal goal is likely one that will replay in the minds of LBSU fans for the remainder of the 2022 season. And rightfully so.