Soccer and Korean Corn Dogs

By Noah Kaney

Last week, the Dalat Varsity Girls soccer team travelled to Seoul, Korea to compete in the annual Asian Christian School Conference (ACSC) hosted by Yongsan International School of Seoul. Leaving on Monday and returning Sunday, the girls spent the week playing soccer and touring the streets of Seoul. 

The girls fought hard throughout the tournament, and ultimately finished fourth overall out of seven teams. They had notable wins against Faith and GSIS, a draw against Morrison, and unfortunate losses against ICS Hong Kong, ICS Bangkok, and host school YISS. However, playing on a field unfamiliar to our team proved a challenge. 

Senior defender Natalie Khor had this to say about the challenging pitch: "The field was one of the most difficult things about playing there. The ground was hard, and the artificial turf was so short. The ball bounced unusually high, and we just weren’t used to that type of field so we were at a disadvantage." 

Despite a difficult pitch, Dalat captain and goalkeeper Haylee Douglas, as well as Dalat captain and midfielder Lauren Worten were chosen to the ACSC All-Tournament team!

One of the best aspects of the trip, as reported by the team, was immersing themselves in the culture of Korea. The team found themselves with lots of spare time throughout the week and filled it by eating lots of Korean food and walking around Seoul. The food was undoubtedly one of the highlights, and the team was able to eat the widely popular Korean Barbecue locally. 

When asked about the most fun part of the trip, Lauren Worten said: "The funnest part of the trip was going around Korea with the team. Going to Korean Barbecue was amazing, and they also had some really good Korean corn dogs." They also had the opportunity to witness a spectacular opening ceremony that showcased Korean culture and simultaneously welcomed the ACSC teams to Seoul. 

The team finished with a respectable fourth place finish, and came home with a lifetime worth of memories and experiences. The 2023 ACSC Girls Soccer trip to Korea will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable trips of the year.