MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Orient Tigers defeated the Blood, Swear and Beer team 5-0 during a six-man intramural soccer game at Penny Lake here July 20.
Orient Tigers kept its defense tight and did not give the Blood, Swear and Beer team any leverage to score a single goal during the first and only half of the game.
On offense, Orient Tigers played with intensity and took advantage of every chance to score.
As soon as Taskashi Soubeh, right middle position for the Orient Tigers, managed to find an opening, he took the shot and made the first goal.
Andre Bugawan, forward position for the Orient Tigers, headed the ball into the net after it was passed in from the corner.
For the rest of the first half, when the Orient Tigers reached five goals, the game was called on the mercy rule. The Orient Tigers maintained their momentum until the game was called because the team had managed to score five goals in a single half.
The last few goals were scored by Tyelor Apple, right middle position for the Orient Tigers.
One goal was scored when he managed to maneuver the ball past opposing players for an open shot straight into the net.
“If a team takes lead by five goals at any time, the game is considered to be a mercy rule,” said John Bass, intramural soccer referee. “The game has to be called.”
It was a short but hard-fought victory for the Orient Tigers.
“We had fun and it showed out there,” said Apple. “We scored a lot of points.”
The team benefitted from the differences between games played during the high school season and the intramural season.
“These games are played on short field, so there is a lot more passing and good touches on the ball,” said Apple. “It helps us in the physical aspect of the game.”
Orient Tigers is made up of a small group of high school students from the Matthew C. Perry boy’s soccer team and a few adult Japanese players who participated during the intramural soccer season last year.
Since the high school students were released for the summer months, they looked for a way to keep up their game until the next chance to bring their team back together for the next season.
“Our season ended before the school year ended, so we formed an all small boys team so we could play in between seasons,” said Apple. “We also have soccer club that starts up in the beginning of the school year, so we try to play all year round.”
Orient Tigers tied against the MALS-12 Gunners 4-4 in their first game of the intramural soccer season after many games were postponed due to inclement weather conditions.
The team currently has several games to look forward to as the weather clears and the hot, sunny days of summer lie ahead.
“We’re just out here having fun,” said Apple. For more information about intramural sports, call 253-3067.