The 2016 DODEA-Europe soccer season opened Friday on the small British outpost of RAF Alconbury as the host Dragons took on their Division III archrival Brussels. Both schools claimed a victory on the day; the Dragon girls beat the Brigands 5-1 in a rematch of last year's European championship match, while the Brussels boys evened the score with a 2-1 defeat of Alconbury.

The Dragons, one of the more talented girls squads at any level of DODEA-Europe soccer, already look at least as formidable as last year's championship unit. Alconbury scored two goals in the first half and bettered that after halftime in a runaway win that was far more decisive than the narrow 2-1 victory they registered over Brussels in last spring's title match.

Laela Evans produced a three-goal hat trick for the Dragons. Isabel Black and Roni Teti added a score apiece and Joely Womack notched an assist to round out the Dragons' prolific opening effort.

Juliette Mobley scored the Brigands' lone goal while Maria Vahrenhorst made 10 saves in net for the visitors.

The boys' matchup was close throughout as Brussels inched ahead for a 1-0 halftime lead and each teamed managed a goal after the break. A 13-save effort by Brussels keeper Dominick DeFazio helped secure the Brigand win.

Aljaz Urbanc and Alex Crowson scored goals and Tim Wilkinson made an assist for Brussels. Gilvano Ronaldi scored the Dragons' goal and teammate Daniel Doctor made seven saves in goal.

Friday's Alconbury-Brussels doubleheader kicked off a light opening weekend of the DODEA-Europe spring season. The schedule expands next weekend with nine scheduled sets of boys and girls soccer.

GirlsSigonella 8, Marymount 0: Saturday at Sigonella, Violender Doke and Lynda Reed starred in a romp for the host Jaguars.

Reed recorded two goals and two assists and Doke scored three goals to lead the Sigonella onslaught, which had already produced six goals by halftime. Korley Jones added two assists and Jessica Jacobs scored one goal and assisted another for the Jaguars.

Florence 4, Aviano 2: Saturday at Florence, the host Boars scored a pair of second-half goals to break a halftime deadlock and beat their new Division II rivals.

Emma Natolin scored twice and Rebecca Grundman and Agnes Teorelles added a goal apiece for Florence, a new arrival to the division after moving up from Division III this school year. Lina Pompa and Elyse Slabaugh countered with one goal each for the Saints.

SHAPE 3, International School of Brussels 3: Saturday at Brussels, SHAPE scored a goal immediately off the second-half kickoff to force a tie that would persist until the end.

Begona Rodriguez Bravo and Sunniva Leivdal teamed up for the quick-hitting score that put the game back on even terms for good. The goal nullified ISB's comeback from an early 2-0 Spartan advantage, produced on unassisted goals by Rodriguez Bravo and Leivdal.

Alberte Martensson scored twice off respective assists by Maddy Caruso and Michelle Kring to pull ISB square at two goals apiece.

Just before halftime, Caruso launched a corner kick that ricocheted off a SHAPE defender and gave ISB a fragile lead that would shatter on the other side of intermission.

Naples 6, Vicenza 0: Saturday at Naples, the Wildcats dominated a meeting between Italian Division I rivals.

Freshman striker Micayla Feltner was a revelation in her debut as a Wildcat, netting two goals and handing out two assists. Kaethe Rose added two goals and an assist for the Wildcats, while senior Jill Thurston scored the game's opening goal and later assisted on another.

Vicenza goalkeeper Rhiannon Merkel fared admirably against the deluge, making 24 saves. All-Europe senior Angelia Sheils enjoyed a lighter workload on the opposite end of the pitch, turning back all three shots she faced.

BoysSHAPE 2, ISB 2: Saturday at Brussels, a pair of Division I contenders played to a hard-fought draw.

The early showdown between European title hopefuls lived up to its billing as the promising Spartans earned a stalemate with the 2015 European runner-up. The teams played 10 scoreless minutes to start, each held the lead at some point in the game and went into halftime tied at one goal apiece before finishing deadlocked at two.

SHAPE's Fernando Gilbert scored the game's first and last goals, the first off an assist from Pablo Pereira. ISB scored its two on either side of halftime, including a first-half Conor Axe goal off a Willem Duyck assist and a second-half penalty kick by Eythor Bjorgolfsson.

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