The last time the two teams played, on March 15, American School in Japan throttled Zama American’s high-powered offense 2-0.

In Thursday’s rematch, freshman Mallarie Ashliman scored twice and Zama turned the tables, scoring a 4-0 home shutout of the Mustangs — the first victory for Zama’s girls over ASIJ in school history.

“This is great. The girls were psyched,” coach Vanessa Little said of the Trojans (15-2-1), who handed the Mustangs their only loss in 11 matches this season. ASIJ (9-1-1) had outscored its previous 10 opponents 51-2 before Thursday’s match.

The Trojans played a completely different match than the one seven weeks earlier. At Mustang Valley, Zama managed just eight shots on goal; on Thursday, the Trojans had 18.

“The last time, it seemed they were playing scared,” Little said. “We definitely played more aggressively this time. We were stepping to the ball. The girls were ready. They were pumped, especially since we’d lost to them the last time.”

Ashliman netted her two goals in the first half, giving her a Pacific-leading 33 on the season. Whitney McWherter scored her 10th of the season on a free kick, and Brianna Terrel tallied in the second half.

The victory gives Zama, already sporting the best record in school history, a bit more confidence, Little said, heading into the Far East Class AA Tournament starting May 19 at Yokota Air Base. Zama has ASIJ in its round-robin pool and plays the Mustangs in its second match.

“We’ve been practicing and playing with ASIJ in mind,” Little said.

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