MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Nile C. Kinnick won its first Japan Soccer League boys championship on Friday, but not in the way the Red Devils wanted.

On a frigid, rainy afternoon at Eagles Field, the Red Devils (9-2-1) got goals from Jonathon Evans and Richie Korth, offsetting scores by Daniel Sanchez and Brandon Taylor in a 2-2 tie with Robert D. Edgren (3-6-2).

“We’re very disappointed” about picking up a tie to clinch the league crown, “but we’re very proud of the way we’ve played the whole season,” coach Bill Schofield said.

Kinnick ended a three-year title run by the Yokota Panthers.

Red Devils senior striker George Murray, who suffered through all three seasons of finishing behind the Panthers, felt gratified at finally having come out on top.

“I’ve been waiting four years for this, and we finally got it,” he said. “It’s not the way we wanted to get it, but we have to be happy with the result and the work it took to make this championship.”

First-year Eagles coach Jim Burgeson was pleased at having come away with a tie against the new champions — almost sounding as if Edgren had won.

“There’s so much talent on this team,” Burgeson said. “They just didn’t put it all together. Tonight, they did.”

And they did it against a Kinnick team with the speedy Murray and equally dangerous Kenny Cardwell up front.

“We haven’t seen that kind of speed all season,” Burgeson said. “To be able to shut them down, that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Pusan girls suffer first loss

SEOUL — After winning all 11 of its regular-season matches, Pusan American finally lost on Friday, falling to Seoul International 4-3 in a penalty-kick shootout in the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference tournament.

Pusan junior Brieanna Carroll remained tied with Seoul American’s Amy Bakameyer for the league scoring lead with 19 goals.

The Lady Falcons reached the semifinals against Osan American. SIS faced Seoul Foreign for the right to play in Saturday’s final.

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