The middle school girls’ soccer team traveled to BHA (Branksome Hall Asia) to compete in the KISAC (Korean International School Activities Conference) tournament on Sept.16 to 18. After fierce battles, both squads fell just short of first place, claiming two silver medals.
Varsity kicked off their match against SJA (Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju) with Ann Oh (12), Elly Song (11), Akari Kojima (9), and Leah Park (23) as midfielders, Christina Kim (52) and Evelyn Cho (31) as strikers, Esther Kang (14), Elin Koo (6), and Chloe Woo (3) as defenders, and Minju Koo (99) as a goalkeeper.
As the whistle blew, center back Elin Koo (6) delivered a smooth pass to upfront strikers Kim (52) and Cho (31), who finished off with an early goal. Fueled with high spirits, the team quickly found rhythm and carried their momentum forward with a dominant 5:0 victory. “DIS was very strong at defense and dribbling, so it was hard to mark one person,” said SJA midfielder Hanna Kim.
The Jets continued with a matchup against FPS (Fayston Preparatory School). The game went smoothly and four different players scored, each contributing greatly to the team’s offensive stance. Kojima (9)’s acrobatic shot from the middle line marked the finale of the Jets’ lopsided victory (4:0).
For the final match of day one, DIS played against NLCS (North London Collegiate School). When Oh (12) sent a cross from the corner, Kim slotted the ball directly into the net, which narrowed the lead to a 1:1 tie. Soon after, Song (11) scored another goal in the second half, allowing the girls to finally beat the Orcas after two consecutive years of defeat (2:1).
“All those things matter at the end, and it’s a collective work. I would just give a shout-out to the entire team. The A-Team and the B-Team performed very well, considering that we had never been exposed before that. We won against the NLCS. They hadn’t lost a game in five years, so that’s a good thing,” said Coach Mr. Faille.
On day two, DIS began with a matchup against BHA. Although Kim (52) and Oh (12)’s tiki-taka passes led to an immediate goal in the first half, controversial referee calls led to a tie (1:1). “ I think they were not the best referees that I’ve seen, and they just might have made missed calls not only for us. The referees could have done a better job in that,” said Coach Mr. Faille.
Tension rose in the match against KISJ. The Jets pressured the opponents with aggressive plays and forward attacks throughout the match. With well-coordinated build up from the goalie through the defenders, they maintained steady control of the ball and created chances that led to another victory of 4:1.
Nevertheless, players reflected on room for improvement. “I think most of our communication was lacking because we had a lot of situations where we could have talked and shown a better performance, but couldn’t have because our communication was not good. Also, I think we didn’t celebrate our goal as a whole team much,” said Kim (52).
The finals marked the rematch against NLCS. Although they expected an easy game, the Orcas’ shift in offensive strategies unsettled DIS, allowing the Orcas to widen the gap from the first half. While Oh’s goal sparked a brief comeback, the girls struggled to turn the game around and claimed second place (1:4).
At the same time, the B team kicked off their first match against the NLCS orcas with Esther Choi (53) as goalie, Olivia Park (22) as centerback, rightback as Yujin Park (16), leftback as Stella Park (77), leftwing Sophia Sung (98), rightwing Gaby Kim (2), and striker Irene Lee (7).
Since their division featured fewer opponents, JV played a round-robin style tournament, opening their run with an intense match against the NLCS Orcas. While they remained coordinated in the first few minutes, the Orcas’ tight defense posed a challenge for Jets’ forward maneuvers, leading to a tough 1:5 defeat.
“[They] overall have really good footwork, and are really aggressive compared to us, and I think that was why it was really hard for us to go inside the goalie box, and counterattack,” sixth grader Irene Lee said.
Following the bitter defeat, they faced off against the KISJ Dragons with hopes for redemption from the early loss. With renewed focus on Coach Mr. Faille’s feedback, the squad took an early lead in the first half with an opening goal from Tracy Kim (17) just four minutes into the game. Gaby Kim (2) and Irene Lee (7) each added goals later in the match, sealing a dominant victory (0:3).
“We didn’t have a lot of training this season because of the schedule, so we were nervous about playing in such a big tournament. But I think that this was amazing,winning a game against KISJ with such a big score [gap],” Eighth grader Olivia Park (22) said.
On the second day, the squad grouped for a rematch against KISJ. Amid the neck and neck tension, Tracy Kim (17)’s free kick finally broke the deadlock and secured a close win (0:1). “Our team’s striker Tracy scored the free kick that she made in the penalty box, and that was the golden goal of the match,” Lee (7) said.
In the finals, JV faced a rematch against NLCS. Riding high from their victory streak, the girls entered the game with high expectations. However, the Orcas’ fast paced, precise passes and strategic movements kept the score tied into the second half.
With only four minutes on the clock, the team conceded a late goal and finished off with a close defeat (1:0), allowing them to secure the silver medal. “During the last game with NLCS, we were able to have a tougher game against them. Even though we lost, we had amazing passes that improved throughout the tournament which I think was the highlight,” said sixth grader Yujin Park (16).
With silver medals in hand, the squad now resumes into preparation for the upcoming SKAIS tournament on Nov. 22. “My aim for SKAIS is to just end on a high note feeling like we gave everything. I want the girls to feel like we did our best, we learned a lot, and we showed everything on the field. That’s the main thing,” Coach Mr. Faillie said.
