The middle school futsal teams embarked on a journey to Jeju for the Korean International Schools Activities Conference (KISAC) soccer tournament on Oct. 19. The boys competed at North London Collegiate School (NLCS) while the girls competed at Branksome Hall Asia (BHA). The girls’ varsity team won 2nd place after a tough defeat at the finals against NLCS, and the girls’ junior varsity team ended 5th, as well as the boys’. 

The varsity girls engaged in five intense matches throughout the tournament. On the opening day, they lost 3-10 to NLCS and tied 6-6 against Korean International School Jeju (KISJ). Mr. Faille, the girls’ coach, said, “The tie was a narrow game. The girls were losing, and for me, it was a win because it was a comeback since they were losing 4-2 but were able to end it in a 6-6 tie.” 

Day two marked a turn of events for the girls. They advanced to the finals with neck-and-neck one-point victories over Busan Foreign School (BFS) and BHA, a narrow margin of 3-2 and 4-3, respectively. Unfortunately, their attempt to prevail over NLCS fell short (11-1). Sarah Cho, the ace defender, said, “We were not expecting to go to the finals, and the team worked really hard. The result was worse [than the first day], and I think we could have had more success, but we really tried our best.” 

At the awards ceremony, the girls received recognition through a sportsmanship award, a new prize that the KISAC organizers implemented just this year. This award proved that they not only won games, but also displayed fair play throughout the tourney. Cho said,  “We complemented other teams, and unlike the opponents that said bad words, we talked good about the other team.” Both girls’ squads demonstrated how to respect opponents and referees, whether they won or lost.

The JV girls stunned the crowd with a one-point victory against BFS on the second day (1-0). Despite the losses they suffered through their three previous games, they managed to stay optimistic and fight through both days with full effort. Mr. Faille said, “It was a tough competition for a lot of them since it was the first time they played, so it was a big challenge. We scored lots of goals, … and we were able to overcome the mistakes from before. The girls tried their best on the field.”

While the girls roughed it out, the varsity boys also fought hard on the first day. They competed in five games, which tested their physical and mental strength. The boys lost the first four matches but secured a victory against BFS in the last game. Mr. Gall, the boys’ coach, said, “I think they arrived with confidence, maybe slightly overconfident. But their mentality is fantastic because they don’t get flustered if they go a few goals down. They still try to do the right things. If they score a few goals and go a couple of goals up, they don’t get excited either. They stay calm and I think that is a really strong characteristic for any sport.”

Jayden Lee, the top-scoring striker, said, “The team was desperate for the last game. We wanted to have one win for the school, as the team cheered up. I had to watch the first half of the game because of my injury, but the game went well as we secured two goals in the first half.” Despite the injury Lee faced, he scored three more goals in the second half, which assured the victory for DIS. 

On the second day, the varsity team hyped up their team spirit to try and win again. As an underdog, they fought against NLCS again, who beat them the day before. Even with a loss of 2-6, Lee said, “Our team fought our best until the end. I’m very proud of the team and I believe that the 6th and 7th graders will do well next year.” He hopes to practice on larger fields, so they feel more prepared for future soccer tournaments. Futsal grounds are smaller in size compared to soccer. 

The middle school players traveled to Handong International School (HIS) and finished their SKAC Finals on November 14th. Check the Flyover sports section for an article on the finals in the next week.