MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan - Matthew C. Perry High School triumphed over Kinnick High School 1-0 in the Department of Defense Education Activity Japan Boy’s Soccer Tournament championship game at the M.C. Perry soccer field here April 23.
Both teams beat four other teams in the tournament before playing each other in the finals.
M.C. Perry beat Edgrin High School 2-1, Yokota High School 5-0, Zama High School 2-1 and tied Kinnick 0-0 in their first meeting.
Kinnick beat E.J. King High School 3-1, Yokota 7-1, Edgrin 2-1 and tied with M.C. Perry in the crossover match 0-0 before finals.
During the first 15 minutes of the game, the Samurai scored, putting early pressure on the Red Devils to keep up.
Throughout the first half, the Samurai and Red Devils played very tight defense in the low scoring affair.
“It was a good game for the most part, and they kept the Samurai from scoring again,” said Robert L. Tiffany, Red Devils head coach.
The Red Devils did what they could, but to no avail, and the first half ended with the score still at 1-0.
“Both teams played very well.We did very well in the first half scoring the goal,” said Mark H. Lang, Samurai head coach.
The second half was just like the first with both teams playing tight defense.
The ball went back and forth between the two teams for the remainder of the half, and the game ended with the Samurai holding onto their 1-0 lead.
“It was a great game; I can’t wait to play them again. They are a great team,” said Sean W. Barker, Samurai captain.
The Red Devils and the Samurai teams are rivals, but the Samurai came out on top as the champions this time.
“The Red Devils are a great team, they are a bigger school than us so they have more people to pick from,” said Barker.
Both teams look forward to playing each other again.
With the championship title and the tournament over, the Samurai team players are preparing for the Far East Tournament.