Vietnam Wins Again!

Over the past seven years, 's lunchtime soccer league has grown in both size and popularity.

On Monday, the 2011 season wrapped as the team "Vietnam" beat out "The Great Ones" with a score of 2-1 for its third championship title in a row - the first time any team has pulled a "three-peat," according to organizer and assistant principal Casey McMurray.

McMurray helped start the annual tradition seven years ago - his first year as assistant principal at the school - and let students and teachers form their own teams and dream up their own names.

The members of Vietnam formed the team their freshmen year, and have been winning ever since. Next year - their senior year - they hope to make it a perfect streak and win for their last year as Milpitas High students.

"Yes, we've won the past two years, but it always feels great," said Michael Shin, one of the leaders of Vietnam after their victory on Monday.

Shin said he enjoys playing in the school's lunchtime soccer league because, as a full-time player for the independent traveling team De Anza Force Academy, he is unable to play for Milpitas High's team. The lunchtime league, which runs from September to November of each year, is his one chance to play with his classmates.

Though Shin took a painful kick to his leg during the championship game on Monday, he toughed it out and made it to the end.

In fact, Shin put Vietnam's first point of the game on the scoreboard. For the first 15 minutes of Monday's 20-minute game, neither team scored. Shin scored the first point with only four minutes left on the clock.

Less than 60 seconds later, The Great Ones tied it up with a goal by junior Hardip Singh. However, rather than go into overtime, Vietnam scored a second goal with only two minutes left on the clock, which The Great Ones were not able to return, securing Vietnam's championship win.

As winners of the lunchtime soccer championships, the members of Vietnam will be thrown a pizza party at the school this Thursday.