Celebrating the Exploits of JV Boys' Soccer

Written by Terry Wang '28 | Edited by Nicole Wang '27

Historically, football (soccer) has never achieved relative success at Shanghai American School Puxi compared with other sports. Since the founding of APAC in 1995 and later JPAC, SAS Puxi has won only two football championships, one from APAC boys and one from APAC girls. Generally, football has been less emphasized at SAS than other sports, with fewer players and no year-round programs.

With the founding of Eagles Academy (a year-long program) and an influx of new players and coaches, the 2025-2026 season has brought remarkable change. By the end of Season Three, both APAC and JPAC teams had achieved major improvements, most notably the girls' Varsity team reaching 2nd place in APAC.

However, the most remarkable transformation has occurred within the 2025-2026 JV boys team. For years, the JV boys team has been consistently weak, placing last in JPAC during the 2024-2025 season. Yet even with seven new yet experienced players, aspirations among Coaches Amaro and Fakunle and the players themselves ran extremely high. As Coach Amaro remarked at the beginning of the season, the 2025-2026 JV team had "innumerable potential" to achieve success.

Those high hopes took a hit following JV's first two SISAC games. At the start of Season Three, the JV team won a close 1-0 victory over Concordia, yet went on to lose to YCIS PX and draw against SLAS, both considered weaker sides. For the players, these setbacks dented morale and confidence. Even so, this did not deter the team’s camaraderie. From creating FIFA cards to sharing hilarious memes in the group chat, the JV team gradually formed into a close-knit group. Fueled by renewed motivation and sharper tactics, the team went on to win all of their remaining games, winning the SISAC West division title, a far cry from the 2024-2025 season when the team placed low in the league and was forced to a lower plate final.

Following Spring Break, the players faced a different challenge: regaining peak fitness and team chemistry. With the SISAC Cup finals only three days away, the JV squad gave their utmost effort to win. Unfortunately, they finished 2nd out of 15 teams, losing in an extremely close 2-1 final against SCIS PX. These challenges were further aggravated by the absence of two key defenders (Hjalmar Hanson and Jacob Dell) who were pulled up to play for Varsity. With JPAC looming only a week after SISAC Cup finals, our JV team gave their greatest efforts to win. Confidence in a top-three finish, especially among Coach Amaro, Junmo Kim, and myself, was high within our squad.

At JPAC, hosted by SAS Puxi, the JV team ultimately placed fourth, losing a close 3rd/4th place match to ISB. Despite injuries to key players and declining morale, the team played with ferocity, particularly in their opening matches. Highlights included a 2-2 draw against WAB (the reigning JPAC champions), holding HKIS to 1-0 for 70% of the match, and a coming back against SASPD in a clinical 4-3 win.

Finally, as the goalkeeper of this phenomenal team, I want to thank this team for what they’ve done. Despite not achieving our dreams of a treble, we exceeded expectations and created the fondest of memories. Memories often carry greater emotional impact than trophies and hopefully, many of us will treasure them throughout our high-school careers.