Matthew C. Perry’s boys soccer team is two years past winning its sixth Far East Division II Tournament title, but one streak they have kept going is for excellence in the classroom.

For the third straight year, the Samurai have received the United Soccer Coaches Association’s high school Team Academy Award. Perry is among 106 boys teams recognized for having a minimum 3.25 grade-point average.

Joining the Samurai were the Nile C. Kinnick Red Devils girls, with a 3.59 GPA. They were among 310 girls teams that earned the honor.

To qualify, the team must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.25 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player’s GPA, then dividing by the number of players.

That comes on the heels of Samurai junior Kai Lange, who set a Pacific record for goals in a single season, being named over the summer to the All-America team by the United Soccer Coaches Association.

Lange had 85 goals to lift the Samurai to a 23-9-2 season record and a fourth-place finish in the Far East Division II tournament in May at Misawa Air Base, Japan. Lange, the 2016 Far East Tournament Most Valuable Player, was named the Far East Golden Boot award winner in the 2018 tournament.

Also, Lange teammate Dylan Ernst, a senior sweeper and an All-Far East D-II Tournament selection in 2017, was named to the USCA’s Scholar All-America team. He was joined by Allie Vincent, a Nile C. Kinnick senior goalkeeper who was named Best Keeper for the second straight year in the Far East Division I Tournament. The Red Devils finished second behind American School In Japan.