The Dankook University Soccer Team, Won Second Place in the 44th National Fall Games of the University Soccer League.
Due to its team’s effort, it is now aiming to be the National League Champion
On August 6, the final game of the 44th National Fall Games of the University Soccer League was held at Taebaek Sports Complex in Gangwon-do.
In the blazing sunlight of the afternoon, the complex was being heated up with both universities’ athletes and cheering squads’ passion even before the game started between Dankook University and Soongsil University.
Dankook University passed the preliminary league in first place with 2 wins and 1 defeat. Then, they went to the final round after defeating Hanmin University (2-0) in the Round of 32, Halla University (1-0) in the round of 16, Hanyang Univerisity (1-0) in the Quarter finals, and Ajou University (1-0) in Semi-finals.
Their final opponent was Soongsil University who defeated Hongik University in the Semi-finals.
Dankook University had played with strong defense, but they took second place because they allowed 2 goals to Soongsil University which led to the score of 2-0. This was their first chance to win the fall university league championship game in 32 years, since 1981, but again it had to postpone its championship crown to the next game as it took second place as in the1989 University Soccer League.
Although they had to postpone their dream of a championship, their spirit of challenge and passion cannot be measured merely by the score. They may not be the strongest team that can easily win a championship any time, but, they have a passion that can never be measured by score alone. They are constantly doing their best and putting forth every effort to accomplish their goal of being crowned champions.
In fact, the Dankook University soccer team has been more like an underdog in the past. Dankook University was the No.1 team in the University Soccer League when it was established in 1976. They were a finalist and a 4 time semi-finalist in the late 1990s. However, in the 21st century, they have not had such good results. They dared to be the top with a special spirit of challenge and passion that all Dankook people carry, however, they didn’t receive much attention as there were other universities with better teams.
However, since 2009, the Dankook University soccer team started to make some progress. With its strong teamwork and defensive skills, they became a team that knows how to win. The Dankook University soccer team is entering a new period in its history, a period of winning. The team took second place in this fall’s university soccer league preceded by second place in the National University soccer game (2009) and 1st place in the 1st Korea Football Association U league. Director Shin Yeon-ho is the one that made this possible. Director Shin has taken his various experiences from his professional athletic career and during his 4 years of directing the Dankook soccer team, he has taken them to the top.
To prepare for the upcoming matches, athletes are still focusing on their training regardless of this year’s terribly hot weather under the blazing sun. Also, they are catching up the classes that they missed during the semester due to game matches with an intensive study program, which was specially provided by the university for them during the vacation. The eyes of the director and the athletes, who are aiming for the national league championship, are shining as bright as the hot blazing sun in the sky with passion, even if they have to study and train simultaneously.