‘Fairytale ending’: Sacramento native Cam Iwasa finishes career with one last score
In the final professional soccer game of his life Saturday night, Cameron Iwasa did what he’s always done.
With Sacramento Republic losing 1-0 to San Diego, the Quails’ all-time leading scorer got into a dangerous position. Teammate Nabi Kibunguchy looped a high crossing pass over the San Diego defenders. Iwasa, on the far side of the goal, headed the ball into the back of the net in the 77th minute to earn a tie game for his hometown soccer team.
After the goal, Iwasa sprinted down the baseline toward his parents, brothers, friends and family, who were all sitting in a section directly in front of the San Diego goal. Iwasa did a roundoff and a backflip as his teammates joined him for the celebration of his 60th and final professional score.
The fans gave him a standing ovation. The Tower Bridge Battalion sang a song about him. And with a few minutes left in the game, Iwasa left the field for a substitute to one last round of applause.
“It’s the perfect ending. We got a fairytale ending,” Sacramento coach Mark Briggs said. “It would’ve been better if we could have won the game, but for Cameron to score that goal, he’s lived the dream of many young kids: he’s represented his hometown team, scored so many goals for his hometown team, held as many records as he does, and then got the fairytale ending to score tonight.
“I’m really happy for Cameron and congratulations to him on a fantastic career.”
After the game, Iwasa looked exhausted. In a short interview over the public address system, he told fans he might have a new favorite goal from his seven-year professional career. He hugged his older brother and younger brother, both on the field to celebrate with him. And he struggled to put into words what it all meant as the reality of what was happening struck him.
“It was an absolute wave of emotions. It’s something I’m not used to,” he said. “But you spend so much of your life doing this and working for it, and to know that it’s over and tough. To be honest, what hit me the hardest was when I hugged Jordan (McCrary) and Shannon (Gomez). They’re my guys.”
The Quails pressed throughout the game for Iwasa to score a goal in his final game. He sent a pair of shots rocketing over the goal in the first half as his teammates fed him the ball on the front line. Iwasa was critical of his play, citing some indecisiveness at points. He didn’t sleep the night before the game and said he played like it was his first year in the league, nervous and trying to figure out how to make an impact.
Then the usual thing happened. He scored a goal when Sacramento needed one. In six seasons with Sacramento, Iwasa scored 58 goals. He scored 42 goals in his senior year at Jesuit High School before going to UC Irvine. When he graduated, he never expected to have a pro career. Instead, he entered the record books in almost every meaningful category for the Republic.
It was a lot to process.
“Rarely do I have these emotions hit me,” he said after the game. “... I’ve said it a hundred times. This city and these fans are the best there are. It’s so special.”
After talking with the crowd and the media, Iwasa went off to tour the stadium and thank the fans ringing the field. He didn’t make it far. He stopped to sign autographs in a corner of the stadium and never left, as fans came over to take pictures and have him sign autographs. They just kept coming and coming, while his family and friends moved onto the field to celebrate with him after he finished.
With no playoff berth on the line or much at stake for either club, Saturday was all about celebrating Iwasa. Officially, it was fan appreciation night. Unofficially, it was all about Iwasa.
“His career at this football club has been fantastic,” Briggs said. “It’s the amount of goals he’s scored, the performances he’s put in, and that he wears his heart on his sleeve. Every time he crosses the white line, he gives you everything. That’s all you can ask for as a professional footballer.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 8:30 AM with the headline "‘Fairytale ending’: Sacramento native Cam Iwasa finishes career with one last score."