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Lower Secondary adjusted to the unfamiliar and
challenging environment of varsity soccer through
mentorship from the Upper Secondary Students (USS)
after Coach Lee and Dellos decided to bring in a group
of middle school players to join the team.
Coach Lee said, “The younger players, as they are
physically smaller and less experienced in playing soccer,
are continuing to adjust to this level of soccer.”
Tobey Lee, in eighth-grade said playing with USS
players was very “intense” and explained that he had
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trouble in the beginning “keeping up” with the demanding
and fast tempo of varsity matches.
For Ethan Hur, it was difficult for him to adjust to the
team because he wasn’t close with the high school players.
However, throughout the season he was able to create a
relationship with them by communicating.
As the season progressed, so did the relationship
between the players. The older players acted as a mentor and
encouraged the young players to push their limits.
Coach Dellos said, “The older players have accepted
them and as we play together, trust and mutual respect is being
built between all of the players.”
Eighth-grader, Ethan Kim said, “I was uncomfortable
playing with the older players in the beginning but because of
their friendliness, I adjusted quite quickly. They supported me
throughout the season and helped me become a better player.”
Max Kim, senior said he tried to help the younger players
adjust by letting them know they “belong”. He explained he tried
to “encourage” the younger players telling them they were “picked
for a reason” and they are “good enough to play with anyone.”
Coach Lee commented on the great mentorship between LSS
and USS and said, “It great to see our younger players learning from
the older ones about leadership, work ethic, commitment, unity, and
discipline. It’s a great team that we have this year.”
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Ethan Kim,
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Hyunjae Cho, and Ben Kim
celebrate after Hunjae scored a goal against SIS.
Throughout the season, the players supported one another to im-
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prove and make progress as a team. 2. Jean Yi hops over obstacles to warm-up before
practice. The players had practice everyday for two hours, showing great commitment. 3. Tobey Lee
dribbles the ball away from the opponent. Even though he was in Lower Secondary, he was able to play as a Varsity player,
making contribution to the team’s performance. 4. David Kim tackles into the ball to steal from the opponent player. Tackling is an essential
skill to cut off the flow of the opposing team. 5. Max Kim and Eric Shin work on their defense drill during practice. The players were partnered in groups of two
to race for the ball. 6. Jun Park jumps to head the ball, successfully blocking from further traveling down the field toward their ne