Third Force opens Pacific soccer title
defense with 6-0 win over Hawaii
By Dave Ornauer, Stars and
Stripes
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — It didn’t take long for Okinawa’s 3rd Force
Service Support Group to remind everyone who is the defending champion of the Marine
Forces Pacific Regional Soccer Tournament.
Third Force scored four first-half goals in beating Hawaii 6-0 on Monday.
Okinawa’s Dawodu Ibidayo had three goals in a rematch of last year’s final,
won by 3rd Force 2-1.
"We’ve been practicing since June 26, started getting ready to retain the
trophy," said former All-Marine Clinton Dyer, now 3rd Force’s coach.
Goalkeeper Edgar Delacruz faced just five Hawaii shots and made two saves.
"We have emphasized defense to win this tournament," Dyer said. "You
have to play good defense. A lot of our new players specialize in defense."
One player in particular specializes in scoring firepower, though. Ibidayo got his
three goals in the first 37 minutes.
"He’s very fast. An awesome player," Dyer said. "No words can
describe his effort. He’s a hard worker. Very skillful."
Mario Martin and Kevin Pierre each had solo goals to cap 3rd Force’s scoring. Five
starters return from 3rd Force’s championship team while Hawaii sports just one.
Weather an improvement
Hawaii’s lone returnee, defensive back Gabriel Jamarillo, didn’t enjoy losing
6-0 to 3rd Force.
But he was happy to be playing, under sunny skies with a slight east-to-west breeze
— a far cry from last year’s CMFPAC tournament, delayed two days by Typhoon
Saomai.
"I remember that," he said. "Three days stuck inside. We had nowhere to
go, no family. Not much fun."
Saomai forced the tournament to start three days after the scheduled opener. Japanese
meteorologists called Saomai, which spawned heavy rain and floods as far north as Nagoya,
the worst storm to hit Japan in more than a century.
When play resumed, Hawaii went 496 minutes without allowing a non-penalty kick goal
before falling 2-1 to Okinawa’s 3rd Force Service Support Group in the final.
On opening day of this year’s tournament, Hawaii was outscored 9-2.
"We’re all new players," Jaramillo said. "We had just two weeks to put
a team together."
Given the choice of being beaten twice and being stuck in a barracks room, Jaramillo
doesn’t hesitate: "I’d rather be playing."
CMFPAC’s ‘first family’
It’s rare for a CMFPAC tournament player to perform before his family. Glen Cross
of Japan’s Iwakuni Air Station has been fortunate enough to do that the last two
years, since his father, Master Gunnery Sgt. Charles Cross, is stationed on Okinawa.
Cross, Iwakuni’s goalkeeper, has played soccer since he was 8. He says the thrill
of playing before family hasn’t diminished a bit as he gets older.
"It makes me happy," said Cross, 20, a lance corporal assigned to
Iwakuni’s Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron. "It’s a morale booster.
They’ve supported me all my life. They’ve seen just about every soccer match
that I’ve played."
The Cross family attended both of Iwakuni’s games Monday, the first of which
Iwakuni won 1-0 over Okinawa’s 3rd Marine Division/Expeditionary Force. Cross stopped
eight shots, including a point-blank header.
"He was outstanding," said teammate Terrance Smith, who got the game-winning
goal in the 58th minute. "He saved us."
Cross was on the verge of two straight shutouts before Hawaii notched two goals in the
final two minutes of a 3-2 Iwakuni victory.
Tryout candidates sought
In addition to crowning a CMFPAC champion, the five-day tournament is also designed to
select six players for nomination to the All-Marine soccer tryout camp, scheduled Sept.
9-28 at San Diego.
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