Seoul, Socks, and Soccer

Melynn Kendrick

A wall of chilled air fell upon the Dalat girls’ varsity soccer team as they exited the heated airport in Seoul, South Korea. The Dalat girls traveled all the way to Yongsan International School of Seoul in South Korea for the 2018 ACSC tournament. It was a long year of hard work and training to get ready for their most significant set of games. Many of the players were brand new to the team and stepped onto Korean soil with open minds that were ready to see what ACSC was all about.

This was an excellent year for the Dalat varsity girls as they recruited a lot of younger players to join the team. Because of this new wave of girls who committed to soccer for the next several years, Dalat is undoubtedly on the road to success in future ACSC tournaments. This year, the Dalat varsity soccer girls put up a good fight in Seoul, but unfortunately finished in 6th place after a long, cold tournament. The girls gained some much-needed experience, which will give them a boost in the future.

During the week of the tournament, the team found more free time than usual and were able to go out and enjoy South Korea. Itaewon, where the team was staying, had a lot of fun shops and yummy food for the girls to explore. One common item that the girls sought out was cute socks. There was a plethora of little sock shops and carts in Itaewon, selling each pair for 1000 won. The team also found a small, antique restaurant where they enjoyed a giant Korean feast.

The favorite of all the outings, however, was by far the trip to Hangang Park. As the team walked up the stairs to leave the subway, they saw beautiful cherry blossoms growing that back dropped the Han River. The smell of delicious meats grilling swirled around the team. While at Hangang Park, the Dalat girls were able to rent tandem bikes and enjoy the cool air and scenery, taking occasional stops to pick up some tteokbokki, grilled chicken skewers, sausages, takoyaki, and Korean pancakes. Dael Kim (Grade 10) said, "My favorite part about Hangang Park was riding the tandem bike with Joy and using our feet as the brakes because ours were broken."

It was the little moments that brought the Dalat girls’ varsity soccer team together. This team carries so much unity on and off the field, which sets it apart from any of the other Dalat teams.