Dragons make first-half goal stand up to repeat

Kubasaki's Lilyana Carillo and Alexa Welsh and Kinnick's Julia Blackwell converge on Red Devils keeper Jailah McDonald. (Hunter Swartz/Special to Stripes)

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — Nicole Yulee exited her high school soccer career the best way a senior could.

The Kubasaki midfielder intercepted a ball in the 24th minute and scored the lone goal of Wednesday’s championship match. The Dragons blanked Nile C. Kinnick 1-0, winning their second straight Far East Division I Tournament title, third in four years and record 10th overall.

“That was close,” Kubasaki coach Chris Eastman said. “Kinnick was strong.”

It was a battle of unbeaten teams, with Kubasaki closing out a 12-0 season, while the Red Devils (23-1-2) suffered their lone loss of the season. It was also another near-miss for a Kinnick team chock full of seniors and which had not won the D-I tournament since the 2019 season.

“They’re well coached, so the team is organized,” Eastman said of Kinnick. “The defensive line dropped deep to limit our space.”

But that also created the opening that Yulee needed when she took possession of the ball just over halfway through the first half.

“Because the Kinnick back line was so deep, it opened up space for our midfielder (Yulee) to shoot,” Eastman said.

From there, the Dragons relied on their defense and the goalkeeping of Charlene Darson to keep Kinnick out of the net.

“Eleven girls on the field pressing the ball,” Eastman said of his Dragons’ defensive philosophy. “We make it difficult for the other team to move the ball forward.”

So difficult, in fact, that the Dragons outscored their opponents 20-0 in four matches during the tournament, compared to their 16-1 ledger in last year’s tournament.

Kubasaki's Victoria Facchini tries to drive past Kinnick's Rachael Vite. (Isaiah Ramirez/Special to Stripe)

Kubasaki's Alexa Welsh tries to steady the ball against Kinnick's McKenzie Talbot. (Isaiah Ramirez/Special to Stripes)

Kubasaki's Kayden Hammac was named tournament MVP and Golden Boot winner. (Julia Mendoza/Special to Stripes)

Kinnick's Alyssa Staples dribbles against Kubasaki's Chloe Sanders. (Julia Mendoza/Special to Stripes)