Varsity Boys Soccer team take 2nd place in Shanghai

After the multitude of sports tournaments this year, the SMIC Varsity Boys Soccer team went to Dulwich on April 20 for their tournament and came home carrying the 2nd place trophy! After a tough season with only one win, these boys went from being underdogs to becoming 2nd in Shanghai. By winning their first two games in the tournament, they secured their place in the finals against Dulwich. Sadly, they weren’t able to beat their main rival, but still proved that this team refused to give up and would keep fighting until the end.

The Varsity Boys had a very tough season. The team was not able to practice due to everyone away during the winter holiday, but the other international schools in Shanghai had already practiced with each and played a few friendly games. Tryouts took place immediately after the break. When the team was picked, there was only one week before the season began.

The first two games were against their main rival Dulwich; the first game was a loss (1:0) and the second game as well (3:0). The team’s only win was due to SAS Pudong forfeiting the game, due to the opposition team’s behavioral issues, meaning the Varsity Boys won by 3 goals. However, their only game against SAS Pudong ended in a 2:2 tie. They played Concordia twice, drawing 2:2 the first time and then losing 3:2 the next. Luckily, the Varsity Boys had a recorded goal tally of 9, which put them in 2nd place in the East (Pudong) Division.

The Varsity Boys arrived at Dulwich on April 20 and played their first opponent of the day, BISS Puxi. When the game started, the first half breezed by quickly with BISS scoring two goals. But just at the end of the first half, Elvin Kim (12C) scored a long-distance free kick. This boosted the team’s moral, and eventually Tony Shen (CT12) to score the equalizer and win the game through penalties.

The team then faced against SAS Pudong again. This time, however, they learned from their mistakes in their previous encounter and fought hard to win 3:1. This marked the first time the Varsity Boys had qualified for the finals, who faced Dulwich. Unfortunately, the Varisty Boys lost the final 4:0.

Team Captain Inque Park (12B) said, “[This] year’s team was the best in terms of mentality. We didn’t let go of the game even after conceding a goal; we just kept on playing and didn’t let the opponent control the entire game which was quite impressive because I’ve seen what a weak team mentality could do to you.”

Coach Steve Spanos also commented on the matter, saying, “We had a lot of young players on the team this year, and many of them stepped up and contributed throughout the season. Most impressive was our unwillingness during games to give up when we were losing. We came back multiple times after getting scored on to tie and win games. That takes a lot of mental toughness, positivity, and perseverance to accomplish. During the tournament itself, such mental and physical toughness were on display. We fought as hard as we could the first two games to make it to the finals, and even in the championship, although we lost, players pushed themselves as far as they could go.”

The SMIC Varsity Boys are very proud about what they’ve accomplished this year. Although they won’t have this year’s seniors in next year’s team, SMIC Varsity soccer history is sure to go a long way with the new freshmen and sophomores coming into the Varsity team.

Featured Image – David takes the ball round a Dulwich defender Photo Courtesy of Mavis Goh