The Beginning In the End

Andy Ewe

On Thursday afternoon, 29 October, at 4.30 p.m., the boys’ varsity and junior varsity soccer teams ended their season with a match against Uplands at the Adventist field.

Originally, the varsity soccer team was scheduled to play against the Uplands A team, while the junior varsity team would play the Uplands B team. Due to a miscommunication, however, only the Uplands B team showed up to play. Because of this error, a compromise had to be made; it was decided that the Dalat varsity team would play one half against the Uplands team, while the junior varsity would take over and finish the second half.

The Dalat varsity team brightly by scoring two goals within the first five minutes against the smaller and younger Uplands team. After twenty minutes of play by the first eleven, all of the players were substituted in order to have all twenty-two players play in the final match. The substitutions clearly had no negative impact on the excellent offensive display shown by the Dalat team, as the goals kept pouring in. Goals from Woo Young Chung (11), Hudson Mcmanus (11), and a hat-trick by Ruben Nyul (9), ensured that the Dalat varsity team finished their season with a solid 7-0 lead.

After the game, Shawn Lim (12) looked back on his three year varsity career and said, “It was nice to see the transformation and improvement the team has gone through since I’ve been on team. I’m really excited for the younger guys since they have a real chance of winning ACSC next year.”

As the next half started, the players had a chance to see the future of Dalat soccer in action. The varsity team, led by Ben Finlay (11), cheered on the junior varsity with spirited and inspiring songs, as rising stars such as Levi Hawk (7), Gabe Roberts (8), and Su-Min Kim (7) showcased their developing skills. Gabe Roberts (8) made some incredible saves while Levi Hawk (7) and Su-Min Kim (7) scored a goal each to secure the victory 2-1. Evan Chinn (12) said, “It’s great to see so much young talent at Dalat. I can’t wait to see how these guys develop and grow in the next few years.”

Indeed, the future of Dalat soccer looks bright as the coaches, Dustin Roberts and Edman Chance, are already preparing to improve on this year’s 5^th place finish at the ACSC tournament in Manila.  Young players, Jeremy Worten (9), John Cho (9), Seong-Min Kim (9), and Ruben Nyul (9), who are already on the varisty team, are all ready to take on larger roles on the team next year, along with junior varsity stars, including, Levi Hawk (7) and Gabe Roberts (8).