The high school girls traveled to Jeju in anticipation for the Korean International Schools Activities Conference (KISAC) in Branksome Hall Asia (BHA) from April 17th to 18th. Despite sprained ankles, torn tendons, and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) the team bounced back from second to last last year to second to first this year on Jeju Island. 

In the girls division, a total of six schools competed: BHA, DIS, Fayston Preparatory School (FPS), Saint Johnsbury Academy (SJA), Korea International School Jeju (KISJ), and North London Collegiate School Jeju (NLCSJ). The starting lineup included Captain Minori Kojima as center back, Ellen Cho as right wing, Nadia Woo as left wing, Co-Captain Leewen Wang and Annie Cho as midfielders, Jayden Hayward as striker, and Victoria Kang as goalkeeper. 

The starters kicked off the tournament with a strong victory of 1:0 against KISJ. Although neck and neck in terms of skill, Wang’s free kick seized the win. Next the Jets faced SJAJ. Although the squad excelled both in offense and defense with far more shooting opportunities than the Hilltoppers, SJAJ’s all-star goalie Hunter Cooper blocked every shot, which resulted in a 0:0 tie. 

With a win and a tie stacked on their shoulders, the girls finished the day undefeated with a close game against FPS. Captain Minori Kojima said, “We were winning 2 to 0, but because of that I think we kind of felt too comfortable, which cost us two points. Most of us were panicking but luckily we scored one more goal and we won 3 to 2.” Olga Karpenko, Hayward, and Wang scored to lead the varsity athletes to victory. With two wins and one tie on day one, the players secured 1st place alongside the Orcas.

Although the girls played seven a-side soccer outdoors with two twenty minute halves, the air quality led to sudden changes on the second day. As a result, the heads of the tournament forced the players to continue their matches against BHA on the hard gym floor — smaller than a regular soccer field. The set against BHA ended in a 0:0 tie.

Fortunately, due to improved air quality levels, the tournament returned outdoors with some tweaks. The matches switched to 10 minute quarters, which added up to 40 minute games. The crew faced their strongest competitor in NLCS for their final set. Unable to come back from two goals by the Orcas in the first quarter, the team lost 6:0.

Despite the loss, the Jets advanced to the finals as the second seed. Once again DIS faced NLCS in the finale. Although they gave it their all, the Orcas’ offense prevailed and the matchup ended with an unfortunate 4:0 loss. NLCS defender Freya Paliwaal said, “Overall the game was a really great experience, everyone had good sportsmanship and it was definitely very enjoyable. In general, I think both DIS and NLCS played really good football, in terms of quality and decision making.” 

Still, the Jets finished the weekend in 2nd place and claimed the silver medal. Freshman Ellen Cho said, “It was awesome and honestly, because we didn’t expect such a high ranking, we didn’t really aim to get first. Instead, we were just so proud to get a medal. So next time we should aim first and practice more.” 

Captain Minori Kojima and Co-Captain Leewen Wang made the all-tournament lineup. Kojima said, “I felt really happy. I felt like the work I had put in paid off. And yes, although I did win the all-star award, I feel like it wasn’t just one person who led the team to victory.

Starter Hayward tore her ACL due to a hyperextension in her leg when she slipped in the game against NLCS. As a result, she underwent surgery and can’t play sports for six months. Hayward said, “I tried to play again, and then immediately injured myself again. So at that point, I kind of accepted that I couldn’t play and I decided to fully trust my teammates. In the process, I learned to trust my teammates which is something I have a hard time with.” 

The victors aim for another trophy in the upcoming SKAC Finals at the International School of Busan (ISB) on May 23rd. Coach Gall said, “We are looking forward to more success in the upcoming SKAC tournament. We just want the team to realize that with better attacking play, we can thrive offensively. And I think just improving the timing of passes and helping each other more would make the team even stronger.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Annie Cho

Sophomore captain Minori Kojima takes a practice kick. She intends to chip the ball to teammates rather than straight to the goal to catch opponents in surprise.