Family, teammates mourn the death of Cabrillo High soccer player Brian Gonzalez

Cabrillo High School’s frosh-soph soccer team took the field for their game against Poly Friday night just like any other game. But tragedy struck when Cabrillo forward Brian Gonzalez, 15, died after suffering a medical emergency on the field.

Hundreds of people gathered on the same field Saturday morning for a vigil, including dozens of athletes from high schools around the district.

“He loved playing the sport. He loved playing the game,” Brian’s uncle Timothy Guzman said Saturday. “He was always a jokester — someone filled with laughter, filled with joy.”

The cause of Brian’s death remains unclear.

Timothy thanked everyone who turned out for the vigil, with a particular emphasis on Brian’s teammates.

“It’s a big loss for our team,” said coach Sandy Castillo, adding that the turnout is a testament to “how strong our soccer community is.”

Players and coaches from Lakewood, Jordan, Poly and Wilson were in attendance to pay their respects to a fellow athlete and competitor.

“You guys get another day, another chance to play another game. Brian does not,” Jordan High School varsity soccer coach Juan Luna said to the players. “Take every second, every minute, every hour, every day to embrace somebody — especially your family and your friends.”

“The amount of love and support here is encouraging,” Cabrillo administrator George Walton said during the vigil.

Standing in a massive circle of student athletes and community members, Brian’s brother Frankie Gonzalez, 23, encouraged all the players at the vigil to “love on one another like family,” regardless of what school they attend, where they live or where they are from.

“What a wonderful boy that boy was. I would do anything for him to be here again,” Gonzalez said through tears on the field. He thanked the community for the outpouring of love, saying “it means the world” to his family.

With a laugh, Gonzales, who played soccer at Millikan in his high school days, said Brian outperformed him “in every single way” as an athlete.

“I thought I was good, but he was gonna go places,” Gonzalez said. “It hurts so fucking bad because I don’t get to see him grow up. This world is fucking scary. It’s not nice. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Anyone wishing to support the family can donate money via GoFundMe as well as Zelle or Venmo to Guzman208@yahoo.com.

Editor’s note: During the vigil, a family member accidentally identified Brian as a Guzman rather than Gonzalez. This story has been updated to correct his name.