Ashley Zapp, left, of Kadena and Ku’leialoha Ampong of Kubasaki go head to head for the ball during Thursday’s girls soccer match at Kadena. Kubasaki won 2-1. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — The boys and girls soccer teams from Kadena and Kubasaki have played played four matches between them this season. All four matches resulted in one-goal victories. One match was decided by penalty kicks.
"Typical Kubasaki-Kadena, which is good," Kubasaki boys coach Chris Kelly said after his Dragons fell Thursday 4-3 to the Panthers.
The verdict evened the Okinawa Activities Council season series at one match apiece, with the rubber match May 1 at Kubasaki. The Dragons won the season opener 2-1 on penalty kicks on March 17, also at Kubasaki.
On the girls’ side, the Dragons won their second straight OAC season series, edging the Panthers 2-1.
One team or another might win the season series, but "neither of us can get the advantage over the other," Kadena boys coach Tom McKinney said.
Which, he said, is an advantage over other teams in the Far East Class AA Tournament.
"You can’t pick between us," McKinney said. "Neither is better than the other. It’s well balanced."
Any match involving the most decorated teams in Class AA tournament history — Kadena with eight total titles and Kubasaki seven — is "more intense for both sides," Kubasaki girls coach Terry Chumley said.
"You have to play to win and not play to not lose," she said.
Stanley Schrock scored three goals and assisted on the goal by Justin Fernandez that gave Kadena the lead for good at 3-2 just before halftime.
"We pressed, but we came up empty," Kelly said. "We’ll get back to the drawing board and see if we can’t come up with a better game plan."
Kristie Karibian put Kadena’s girls ahead in the third minute, but Maya Lowe answered with a goal from 40 yards out and Elizabeth Fabila added a second-half penalty kick. Kubasaki’s defense took it from there.
"The defense plays well together. That’s the big thing," Chumley said.
"They deserve it," Kadena coach Hoa Nguyen said. "They’re a much better, stronger team than us right now."
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Aubrey Ashliman scored five goals on Wednesday, giving her a region-high 31 this season, and Zama American’s girls (13-2-2) snapped a two-match skid 8-1 over Christian Academy In Japan.
On Tuesday, defending Girls Class AA champion American School In Japan (8-0) took charge of the chase for Japan’s best record, edging Zama 3-1, getting two goals from Birke Duerloo.
Daegu American’s girls returned from the spring break in style, scoring three goals in the second half of a 3-0 victory over Seoul International. But the Warriors (4-5-3) could have had more, coach Ed Thompson said.
"Frustrating. We had so many shots on goal. I was worried if we would ever score," he said.
That’s been the problem all season for Daegu’s boys (1-10), who fell 3-0 to SIS and have scored only six goals this season.
"We can’t seem to get rid of that goose egg," Warriors coach Larry Knierim said.
