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Nile C. Kinnick's Kiralyn Kawachi and Zama's Ruth Nay chase the ball during Saturday's round-robin match in the DODDS Japan high school girls soccer tournament at Camp Zama, Japan. Kinnick blanked Zama 5-0 and won the tournament title for the second straight year.

Nile C. Kinnick's Kiralyn Kawachi and Zama's Ruth Nay chase the ball during Saturday's round-robin match in the DODDS Japan high school girls soccer tournament at Camp Zama, Japan. Kinnick blanked Zama 5-0 and won the tournament title for the second straight year. (Georgia Tsitiridis/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Nile C. Kinnick's Kiralyn Kawachi and Zama's Ruth Nay chase the ball during Saturday's round-robin match in the DODDS Japan high school girls soccer tournament at Camp Zama, Japan. Kinnick blanked Zama 5-0 and won the tournament title for the second straight year.

Nile C. Kinnick's Kiralyn Kawachi and Zama's Ruth Nay chase the ball during Saturday's round-robin match in the DODDS Japan high school girls soccer tournament at Camp Zama, Japan. Kinnick blanked Zama 5-0 and won the tournament title for the second straight year. (Georgia Tsitiridis/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Nile C. Kinnick's Kaile Johnson sets to boot the ball past Zama's Natasha Hunter during Saturday's round-robin match in the DODDS Japan high school girls soccer tournament at Camp Zama, Japan. Kinnick blanked Zama 5-0 and won the tournament title for the second straight year.

Nile C. Kinnick's Kaile Johnson sets to boot the ball past Zama's Natasha Hunter during Saturday's round-robin match in the DODDS Japan high school girls soccer tournament at Camp Zama, Japan. Kinnick blanked Zama 5-0 and won the tournament title for the second straight year. (Kayla Bodwin/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Matthew C. Perry's Martin Ziola and Sam Hess and Nile C. Kinnick's Bryan Wolf, Keigo Mull and Branden Yoder give chase for the ball during Saturday's championship match in the DODDS Japan boys high school soccer tournament at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Perry blanked Kinnick 1-0.

Matthew C. Perry's Martin Ziola and Sam Hess and Nile C. Kinnick's Bryan Wolf, Keigo Mull and Branden Yoder give chase for the ball during Saturday's championship match in the DODDS Japan boys high school soccer tournament at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Perry blanked Kinnick 1-0. (Anju Yamanaka/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Matthew C. Perry's Gaku Lange and Jarell Davis sandwich Nile C. Kinnick's Dustin Wilson as they go up for the ball in front of Kinnick's Keigo Mull during Saturday's championship match in the DODDS Japan boys high school soccer tournament at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Perry blanked Kinnick 1-0.

Matthew C. Perry's Gaku Lange and Jarell Davis sandwich Nile C. Kinnick's Dustin Wilson as they go up for the ball in front of Kinnick's Keigo Mull during Saturday's championship match in the DODDS Japan boys high school soccer tournament at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Perry blanked Kinnick 1-0. (Anju Yamanaka/Special to Stars and Stripes)

Brady Yoder and Vince Ermitano wait for a corner kick serve during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Brady Yoder and Vince Ermitano wait for a corner kick serve during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Chris Lynch of M.C. Perry cuts off Bryan Wolf of Kinnick during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Chris Lynch of M.C. Perry cuts off Bryan Wolf of Kinnick during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Ali Osman of Kinnick fights past M.C. Perry's Calvin Barker during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Ali Osman of Kinnick fights past M.C. Perry's Calvin Barker during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Calvin Barker of M.C. Perry marks Branden Yoder of Kinnick during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Calvin Barker of M.C. Perry marks Branden Yoder of Kinnick during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Brady Yoder of Kinnick makes a leaping save during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Brady Yoder of Kinnick makes a leaping save during the first half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Ian Dignan of Kinnick and Calvin Barker of M.C. Perry trip over each other during the second half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Ian Dignan of Kinnick and Calvin Barker of M.C. Perry trip over each other during the second half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Brady Yoder makes a diving save in the second half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Brady Yoder makes a diving save in the second half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Matthew C. Perry's Gaku Lange pushes the ball upfield during the second half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0.

Matthew C. Perry's Gaku Lange pushes the ball upfield during the second half of the DODDS Japan Boys Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday in Yokota, Japan. Perry won the tournament title 1-0. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)

Nile C. Kinnick’s and Matthew C. Perry’s boys soccer teams have blossomed into DODDS Japan’s best rivalry, and Saturday’s tournament final at Yokota’s Bonk Field proved a solid case in point.

Gaku Lange netted his Pacific-leading 33rd goal with 12 minutes left and the Samurai hung on to blank the Red Devils 1-0 for their first championship in the tournament.

“Samurai are champs, baby,” Lange’s father and Samurai coach Mark Lange said. “Another classico. A great game. Both sides played fabulously. The teams respect each other. It could have gone either way.” “It always has been” a strong rivalry, Red Devils coach Robert Tiffany said. “It’s physical soccer. It’s good soccer.”

Very physical could easily describe Saturday’s final, played under a pastel-blue, cloudless sky and warm, windy conditions. Players pushed and shoved each other repeatedly throughout the match, particularly Lange, built like a string bean, and Kinnick’s brawny Keigo Mull.

“There was a lot of contact between those two,” Tiffany said, adding that in years past, the two teams genuinely disliked each other, but “Mark and I have worked on a lot of things the last five years” to tamp down the antagonism. It’s more positive now.”

In the 78th minute, Perry’s Jon Cadavos made a long throw-in, which was headed high by Kinnick defender Joe Louis. Red Devils keeper Brady Yoder leaped high for the ball, but couldn’t come down with it. Lange then banged it home at the doorstep for the match’s only goal.

The win helped Perry take the season series with the Red Devils 2-1. Kinnick didn’t go home from the DODDS Japan soccer tournaments empty-handed, repeating its title in the girls tournament at Zama.

Three teams entered play Saturday at Zama’s Huitema Memorial Field with a shot at the title, Kinnick (3-0), Perry (2-1) and host Zama (2-1).

Kinnick had already beaten Perry on Thursday, and when Yokota tied Zama 1-1, it made any tiebreaker scenario mathematically impossible.

Asked if the title can help build momentum for a Far East Division I Tournament run, coach Nico Hindie said: “I sure hope so.” But he added that Kinnick still has “some things to work on.”

“When we play well, I think we can take it to the next level. It depends on which team shows up. There are a lot of other good teams out there,” Hindie said.

While the Samurai boys and Red Devils girls savored triumph, Saturday’s Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference Blue Division boys tournament proved tragic yet again for a Seoul American team that’s lost in the final three straight years.

Francesco Louraschi tied it in the 49th minute, then Huchan Lee put Seoul Foreign up for good two minutes laters in a 4-2 comeback victory over the Falcons.

“We took one on the chin again. I don’t know what I have to do,” Falcons coach Steve Boyd said, adding that Seoul Foreign’s bang-bang sequence, which came after Andrew Clark gave Seoul American the lead 2-1, happened because his players relaxed.

“And when you do that, boom,” Boyd said. “If you don’t mark up, that’s what happens. We outshot them 18-5 in the first half. We just didn’t score except for (one) goal. I don’t know how we didn’t score more. But that’s soccer. I feel badly for the seniors.”

Crusaders teams relished a KAIAC title double on Saturday, as Michelle Richardson scored twice and Seoul Foreign shut out Yongsan International-Seoul 4-0 in the girls final.

It was the last match of Richardson’s stellar career. The senior three-sport star (she also played tennis and basketball) graduates from Seoul Foreign next month with 79 goals for her career, 31 this season alone.

The KAIAC girls third-place match saw reigning Far East Division II champion Osan edge Seoul American 3-2. Andrea Carandang netted her 15th goal of the season. The Cougars are 8-2-1 since starting 0-4, and coach Sung Plourde is hopeful of big things at Far East next month.

“We’re coming into it (our own),” Plourde said. “We’re hoping to keep this up through Far East. That’s what we’re shooting for.” Osan has won a record eight Far East D-II Tournament titles.

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