Edgren girls start improbable journey
Winless during regular season, Eagles peaking at the right time
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CAMP WALKER, South Korea — They say good things come to those who wait. Robert D. Edgren’s girls soccer players put their own spin on it — they say good things come to those who "Don’t Stop Believin’," as in the title of the 1981 song by Journey.
That’s the team’s theme — and it paid off for the Eagles, who got their first two victories of the season Monday, opening the Far East High School Class A Tournament at Camp Walker’s Kelly Field in strong fashion.
Edgren blanked Korea International and Global Visions Christian by 2-0 scores and battled Osan American, Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Council runner-up, to a 1-1 draw.
"It’s great music. It gets us pumped," said senior fullback Jaelen Knolla after the Eagles’ 2-0 pool-play victory over Korea International. "We’ve been on a journey. We’ve gotten so much better during the season. We don’t stop believing."
Monday’s performance belied that of a team that went 0-12-1 in the DODDS-Japan season. But first-year coach Mark Pierce said what went on until now is important only from a preparation perspective.
"We’ve geared our whole season toward Far East, even if we had to practice in two feet of snow," said Pierce of the Misawa Air Base-situated high school, where snow lies on the ground until mid-March.
"Once Far East starts, it will be a different story" than the season was. "That’s what we’ve been saying all along," Pierce said.
Edgren’s coming-out party was one of a handful of unexpected performances by teams as the weeklong Far East soccer tournaments got started.
One new face in the Girls Class AA at Kubasaki is Faith Academy, a two-time Class A winner moving up this year because of an enrollment spike. The Vanguards tied the hosts 0-0 in pool play.
"They are good," said Kadena coach Hoa Nguyen, who watched the scoreless draw. "They move the ball well, they do the small passes and control the midfield. Somebody has to control the center-mid if you want to beat them."
Two other defending champions had their way on opening day, with Kubasaki’s boys and American School In Japan’s girls winning their Class AA pool-play matches.
Considered a near-afterthought in KAIAC, Global Visions Christian pulled the biggest shocker of the day, stunning defending boys Class A champion Yongsan International-Seoul 1-0.
Sung Kim scored in the seventh minute and the White Tigers hung on from there. The Guardians, 14-0-1 in the regular season, are 3-3-1 since.
That the heavily favored Guardians suffered an upset loss "makes it a better tournament," Matthew C. Perry coach Mark Lange said. "I don’t mind the giants falling. It’s not all about the best record. It’s who wants it more."
Another heavy favorite, Perry’s girls, fell 2-1 to Class A host Daegu American at Camp Carroll. "It could have gone either way," Daegu coach Ed Thompson said of a match in which the teams had numerous opportunities. "It was fun to watch."
In a Boys Class AA surprise, pre-tournament favorite Christian Academy In Japan battled Hong Kong International to a 1-1 draw. Guam High, which plays a fall regular season, shocked Nile C. Kinnick 3-1.
In some cases, old faces showed up in new places and played against their old friends.
David Krievs of Kinnick was one. The senior midfielder played for defending Class AA champion Kubasaki last May; the Dragons and Krievs were reunited in Monday’s first match.
"It was weird. Hard. Tough. Complicated, going up against my old team. It was a good match," Krievs said, adding that he had a chance to chat and wish luck to his ex-teammates and coach Chris Kelly.
He thinks the Dragons aren’t quite what they were a season ago, "but they still have a good chance of winning and defending their championship," Krievs said.
