The high school boys’ soccer team traveled to North London Collegiate School (NLCS) to compete in the Korean International School Activities Conference (KISAC) tournament from April 23 to 25. After a series of ups and downs, the team finished in eighth place. 

Varsity kicked off their match against Fayston Preparatory School (FPS) Eagles. With a new 5-3-1-1 formation, the starting lineup featured goalkeeper Brian Hyun (1), left-back Maddox Jolly (3) center-backs William Seo, Jason McAteer (22), Charlie Park (10), right-back Robert Cho (18), left midfielder Alex Seo (12), center midfielder William Seok (8), right midfielder Jacob McAteer (17), attacking midfielder Jayden Lee (77) and striker Lian Seok (14). 

“We talked as a team and the boys wanted to try out something different and we decided to give the [5-3-1-1] a go. It seemed a good idea against FPS, a very strong and well-organized [soccer] team. We attempted a defensive line, and try to get the ball to our left and right backs,” said Coach Purdy. 

Despite the heightened excitement for the new formation, it caused confusion among the players. This allowed the Eagles to take a lead. Entering the second half, Coach Purdy quickly switched to a 4-4-2 for more aggressiveness on the attacking line. “We realized quite quickly that the new formation wasn’t going to work for us because we just are not experienced enough to play that style of formation. We quickly switched back to 4-4-2,” said Coach Purdy.

Even with the change, the Jets failed to recover back, and FPS went on to win the game 2:0. “It was a tough game. The goals FPS scored in the second half weren’t by any means ‘great’ goals but a little luck. We could have won that game quite easily,” said Coach Purdy.

After a quick rest, the team lined up for their second game against the Saint Johnsbury Academy (SJA) JV team. Moving on from their loss, the boys locked in and dominated the first-half of the match. 

Freshman Park (10) delivered a superior performance in the match, scoring two goals and securing the ball strong in the midfield. The team built on the rhythm with McAteer (17), Lee (77), and Cho (18) each adding a goal, securing a 5:0 victory. 

“We focused more on winning the second match after losing the first match. The win here was very important, and it gave us confidence to win more games,” said captain Seok (8). 

The last game for day one kicked off after lunch against Korea International School Jeju (KISJ) JV. The match escalated into a heated and physical contest, with poor sportsmanship from certain KISJ players. 

With continuous tackles, pushing, and verbal exchanges, the tension rose through the match, especially when McAteer (17) and an opposing defender clashed. “The KISJ players were very aggressive and played with no sportsmanship. They continued to tackle us deeply, and continuously swore. What they did was unacceptable and the game wasn’t like soccer anymore,” said McAteer (17).

A total of four players received a yellow card from the referee, but the battle continued on. Continuous aggressiveness was shown by both sides, hustling to win the ball. As the whistle blew, the Jets prevailed 1:0 against the Dragons. 

Recovering from intense games, on day two, as the second-seed in their pool, varsity matched up against SJA varsity for a ticket to the semi-finals. Although both teams ended the first half with no goals, DIS pushed around SJA, maintaining strong possession of the ball.

The second half turned out completely different. As the defensive line collapsed due to fatigue, SJA took closer and accurate shots, taking a 2:0 lead. “Day two was a different story for lots of our players. Lots of tired legs, tired brains, and our team’s lack of depth quality overall. The team was observable from young, inexperienced players and the KISAC teams are physical and well-drilled in how to play tournaments,” said Coach Purdy. 

Eliminated from a chance to the podium, Jets advanced for the fifth and sixth match playoff against the KISJ JV. With many starters exhausted, subs were given the opportunity to step in. “As we realized that we weren’t going to make it to the podium, we let the experienced players have a rest and prepare for SKAIS, while the more inexperienced, younger players got a chance to play,” said Coach Purdy.

The youngsters continued to compete with determination, but a penalty conceded resulted in a 1:0 defeat.

In the seventh and eighth place match, DIS vied with the NLCS JV. Most substitutes started the squad again, which led to an early 2:0 lead for NLCS. While few starters returned back to the pitch, the team struggled to regain momentum to close the gap, concluding their tournament in last place. 

With the upcoming SKAIS (South Korea Association of International Schools) tournament left to go on May 16, they gained valuable experience from KISAC. This experience will refine their play on the pitch and advance their skills in future tournaments and seasons.