A Devastating but a Memorable Week

Seong-Min Kim

           

“All for one, seize the moment! All for one, seize the moment! All for one, seize the moment!” Captain Seong-Min Kim (12) and Jeremy Worten (12) led the Dalat varsity boys’ soccer team with a chant that spread across Hong Kong and made a fierce presence on the field.

Wednesday, October 17^th, 2018 was the start of the journey to become “Champions of Asia.” The boys’ varsity soccer went up against Morrison Academy in their first game of ACSC Tournament. Throughout the match, the intensity level was high with lots of physical contact against the thick team of Morrison. The match concluded with a 2-1 loss but the boys played an “enormous game,” according to Coach Dustin Roberts, who wanted the team to carry on this momentum to the next game.

The second and third day decided which playoff spot they would be placed in. Their second game of the tournament was against Grace International School. The boys were hyped and ready to compete. The boys struck first with a goal by Ruben Nyul (12) which then escalated towards full time when Seong-Min Kim (12) hit a 25-yard banger to give a commanding 2-0 lead against the opponent. With poor field conditions, the team came out with their first win in the tournament, still having hopes for the finals on the last day.

On the same day, the boys posted another win against Faith Academy, winning 3-2. The boys were up 3-0 at the half, but Faith didn’t back down and gave everything, scoring two goals in the second half.

Dalat was on the pace to reaching the finals but had to either collect a win or a draw against ICS Hong Kong, the last year’s champions. The boys fought hard, maintaining their focus to the game and pouring everything they had into the match against ICS. The boys held tight until the remaining ten minutes of the match where an aerial ball blew by Dalat’s defense line, allowing the ICS striker to put it in the net. The result pushed the boys down to the 3^rd/4^th place game against Morrison, earning the chance to redeem themselves from the loss against Morrison on day 1.

But things would not go as the boys had planned. The last game of their tournament ended with a 1-0 loss against Morrison and secured them in the 4^th place spot in the tournament. The boys learned that they either win as a team or lose as a team and give everything out there during the next game.

The one week for the boys was incredible. Learning new things, having fun with jokes, celebrating as a team. Results don’t matter; it’s the effort that defines the team.