The high school girls’ futsal teams traveled to NLCS (North London Collegiate School) to compete in the Korea International School Activities Conference (KISAC) tournament from April 17-19. After fierce battles, varsity finished third out of seven schools, while the junior varsity (JV) team placed last out of four.
Varsity kicked off their match against the SJA Hilltoppers with Victoria Kang (10) as goalkeeper, Apple Jun (17) as left back, Minori Kojima (9) as center back, Ellen Cho (0) as right back, Leewen Wang (1) as left midfielder, Sarah Cho (19) as right midfielder, and Mary Cho (20) as striker.
Entering their first playoff of the season with high expectations, DIS took a strong lead in the first half with an opening goal from Mary Cho (20). However, after a sustained offensive push from the SJA Hilltoppers, it ended in a tie of 1:1.
Despite the early setback, the girls regrouped for their next matchup against the Fayston Preparatory School (FPS) Eagles. Five different players scored, contributing to a surge in momentum that allowed them to secure a dominant 1:5 victory.
On the second day, the Jets clashed with the Busan Foreign School (BFS) Sharks in the semi-finals. Fueled by their early victory, they started strong with confidence and hope for a repeat win. However, BFS’s long-ball, aerial approach disrupted the Jets’ ground-passing game, which led to confusion and possession breakdowns.
After conceding an unexpected goal to the Sharks just five minutes into play, they struggled to regain control, leading to a tough 0-2 defeat. “A striker in the other team dribbled through all of her defenders and passed it into the goal. I thought the ball was going to stop right in front of the goal. So I stopped the striker first, and then I tried to get the ball, but the ball was already rolling in the goal,” varsity goalkeeper Victoria Kang said.
Following their semifinal loss, DIS faced FPS in a third-place playoff. The girls stayed sharp from the first whistle, with a successful penalty by Cho (20) keeping the score tight at 1:0.
Although they expected an easy game, the Eagles’ adjustment in their defensive strategies posed a challenge for the Jets’ offensive tactics. “There were two defenders at first, but after you guys scored five goals in the first game, we changed to a more defensive formation of 3-2-1,” captain of the FPS Annie Woo said.
In spite of the pressure, Cho (20) scored again in the second half, extending their lead to 2:0. “It was a goal from quite a long distance after the assist from one of the wings. We were all tired by that time of the game, but we really needed a goal because it was only 1:0. After the goal, we were playing more relaxed,” said Cho.
As the match progressed, both sides fought fiercely. Although the Eagles earned a penalty kick and narrowed the score down to 2:1, they failed to break through the Jets’ defense. With that, DIS secured the win and returned home with a bronze.
Building on varsity’s impressive third place finish, JV planned to ride that wave to victory. Their starting roster consisted of: Sally Yun (7) as right back, Annie Cho (3) as center back, Grace Cho (15) as left back, Kaylie Jeong (28) as center midfielder, Minji Kim (12) as attacking midfielder, Reina Li (21) as striker, and Hailey Tzou (55) as goalkeeper.
They opened against the home team, NLCS Orcas— the defending champions— in a lopsided match. Facing an experienced squad and adjusting to a full-sized 7-on-7 field, the Jets suffered a 9:0 defeat. “The first game against NLCS was extremely tough. They had trained together for almost a year,” said freshman captain Minji Kim (12).
Later that day, the Jets clashed against the BHA Bears. Although adapted to the new environment, they struggled to create scoring opportunities. “The BHA game was hard for us because a lot of our players played full time, so we were tired. Also, there was a big skill difference between us and BHA,” said sophomore Belle Kim (2).
On day two, the team showed improvement against the KISJ Dragons. With tight defense and blasting sprints, they earned a 0-0 draw. Only eight minutes later, with limited time to rest, they quickly regrouped for a rematch against the Orcas for the semi-finals.
To strengthen their defense, Coach Gall adjusted the formation from a 3-2-1 to a 4-2. The strategy proved effective early on, keeping the score nil-nil for the first 15 minutes. However, the short recovery time and back-to-back games took a toll, and the team eventually fell 8-0.
The final match, a bronze medal showdown against the KISJ Dragons, unfolded in a nail-biting battle. The tightly contested game with powerful defensive plays remained a shut out until the final minutes, when the Dragons earned an indirect free kick after an error from goalkeeper Tzou.
“The first game we were tied. Similar skill level. We were winning 1-0 in the last two minutes. We used our opportunity that was created by DIS’s mistake, which was the keeper touching the ball twice. I feel like if we didn’t have that opportunity, we would have gone to penalty kicks,” said Claire Kim, the KISJ junior who scored the winning goal.
Regardless of the losses, JV maintained their sportsmanship throughout the weekend. “DIS is the only school that we didn’t have any negative feelings about. It was a good and fair game. We didn’t get that heated or swear at each other,” Claire Kim said.
While they finished short of third, the tournament offered valuable experiences in understanding the game and their bond as a team. “From our laughter to our cries, we truly learned the best from each other,” Kim (2) said.
In addition to their achievements, freshmen Mary Cho (20) and Kaylie Jeong (28) received the all-tournament team award, a testament to their outstanding performances and hard work.
Now, the girls dive back into practice and prepare themselves for the season finale. “We are trying to keep playing our game again and build up and be stronger as a team for both the DMHS friendly and the SKAIS tournament” said coach Mr. Faille.
