The Warrior boys cruised to a 7-1 season-opening victory. Tariq Zangana and Tyrese Harris produced matching stat lines of two goals and an assist, while Asa Moncivais added a goal and an assist for the Warriors.

The Wiesbaden girls piled up double-digit goals in an 11-1 rout. Erin Goodman was responsible for the bulk of the damage, scoring six goals and dishing out three assists. Hannah Neumann added two goals, Audrey Merhar and Greta Lambert each notched a goal and an assist, Grace Reeves had two assists and Jade Anderson scored a goal to complete the blowout.

Boys

Aviano 5, Sigonella 3: Saturday at Sigonella, the Saints picked up a season-opening road win.

Jason Valladares scored four goals and Nicholas Gilbert totaled a goal and three assists to overpower the Jaguars.
Naike Schauring scored twice to lead the Jaguars.

Ansbach 7, Hohenfels 0: Saturday at Ansbach, the host Cougars blanked their Division III rival.

Kevin Kamara scored three goals and Rovic Denuna and Shane Nesbitt found the net twice apiece for Ansbach, which is eying a small-school title after a runner-up finish a year ago.

SHAPE 3, Lakenheath 0: Saturday at Mons, Belgium, the Spartans claimed a clash of northern Division I foes.

Alvaro Acebal scored twice and Carlos Calero Diaz added a goal for SHAPE. Goalkeeper Mihkel Kokka made two saves in a shutout effort for the Spartan defense.

Elsewhere in the northern region, defending Division II champion AFNORTH routed host Spangdahlem 7-1.

Naples 8, Vicenza 1: Saturday at Naples, the Wildcats dismantled the rival Cougars.

Christian Albright and Whutti Khotsaeng scored twice apiece to headline a set of six Naples goal scorers. Albright and Khotsaeng each had hat tricks with an assist apiece.

Girls

Naples 4, Vicenza 0: Saturday at Naples, four different Wildcats found the net in a steady shutout of the rival Cougars.

Thalia Galindo, Abigail Houseworth, Victoria Sasse and Roxanne Sasse did the honors for Naples, while Galindo added an assist.

Vicenza broke even on its trip to Naples on the strength of a 5-0 win over American Overseas School of Rome Friday. Hope Bello scored four goals in the victory.

Spangdahlem 7, AFNORTH 0: Saturday at Spangdahlem, three multiple-goal scorers provided the firepower in a runaway win.

Izzy Smith scored three goals and Chloe Smith and Chesney Tieyah scored two each for the Sentinels, who will pursue a Division III crown this spring after realignment ended its Division II title reign.

Aviano 2, Sigonella 2: Saturday at Sigonella, the Italian rivals played the kind of evenly-matched game that was a rarity on Saturday.

Maddie Collins scored both of Aviano’s goals, while Alex Garcia provided both goals for the home team.

Both teams kept the opposing keeper busy, requiring seven saves from Sigonella’s Ashlee Stuart and six from Aviano’s Trinity Saenz.

The Ramstein girls routed the overmatched home team 5-1, after which the Royal boys blanked the two-time defending Division I champions 2-0.

Boys

Ramstein 2, Kaiserslautern 0: The Royals scored a pair of first-half goals that held up as the final margin.

The ball bounced largely around the midfield throughout as both teams struggled to produce sustainable offense, so the game came down to the matter of capitalizing on what few opportunities did present themselves.

That’s where Ramstein claimed the advantage.

Conner Mackie, a recent Kaiserslautern champion now suited up for the archrival Royals, swung the game in his new team’s favor midway through the first half. Mackie pounced after Kaiserslautern keeper Alex Crossley stopped a Ramstein penalty kick, depositing the ricochet in the back of the net for the game’s first goal.

Jaden Buelvas added an insurance goal just before halftime off an assist by Christopher Slover, the tangible product of a consistent effort Buelvas lauded after the game.

“Our passes... were very accurate and to the foot,” Buelvas said. “Everywhere that we were going we always knew our teammate was going to be right behind us.”

That was the game plan for the Royals, who have long placed a heavy emphasis on defense while scraping together opportunistic offense on the other end. Head coach Dominik Ludes said his team followed that script Saturday, explaining that the Royals were “defensively strong” and “efficient with their chances” to score.

“That’s always key in a close game like this,” Ludes said.

Kaiserslautern coach Enrique John offered similar analysis, albeit from the opposite perspective.

“We made two grave mistakes in the defense,” John said. “Playing at this D1 level, mistakes like that are punished.”

Regardless, John said his young, revamped Raiders are at an acceptable phase in what they always knew would be a difficult, season-long development process.

“I’m in no way disappointed with the performance of my team,” John said. “It’s something to build on.”

Girls

Ramstein 5, Kaiserslautern 1: The Royals paired a potent offense with a stingy defense in an overwhelming season debut.

Junior Rocio Fernandez scored three goals to lead the Royals, while Haley Deome and Alexis Tri added a goal apiece.

Fernandez referenced a handful of chances she wasn’t able to convert, her frustration with a hat-trick performance suggesting just how much potential this Ramstein offense holds.

“For the team, I’m happy,” Fernandez said, explaining that the offense tended to veer towards her left side of the field on Saturday and that the Royals could become even more dangerous with a better balance. “I think we’re going to improve.”

Coach Katina Campbell was thrilled with her team’s performance Saturday, particularly the chemistry the team is already developing despite a number of new arrivals to the roster.

“I’m absolutely happy with the team’s progress and the unity they’ve been showing so far throughout the team,” Campbell said.

“Everybody is coming together.”

Kaiserslautern freshman Savanna Vickers scored a late goal to avoid a home-team shutout.

broome.gregory@stripes.com

Twitter: @broomestripes

Division I

The Stuttgart Panthers restarted their title reign last spring with a shootout victory over the Ramstein Royals, overcoming the shootout loss they took to Wiesbaden in the 2017 final and claiming the program’s third championship in four seasons.

Stuttgart will enter 2019 a strong favorite for another repeat. The reigning champions are loaded with talented seniors, including All-Europe midfielder Reagan Treichel and newcomer Lilly Lakich, a Florida transfer who projects to immediately rank among the DODEA-Europe elite. Wings Mara Bartell and Trinity Leahy round out the senior core, while coach Bill Ratcliff reports a set of “very skilled” underclassmen prepared to offer capable support.

Ramstein, once as consistent a finals participant as longtime rival Stuttgart, snapped a two-year streak of semifinal losses with its appearance in the championship game last spring. The Royals will be seeking their first European title since their 1-0 win over the Panthers in the 2014 final.

The Wiesbaden Warriors and Naples Wildcats have established themselves among the Division I elite in recent seasons, joining Stuttgart and Ramstein in the tournament’s final four each of the last four seasons. Each team, appropriately, returns 11 varsity players, including seven starters, for another run this spring.

Seniors Audrey Merhar, Gracie Reeves and Karli Wallace, the latter perhaps DODEA-Europe’s most skilled goalkeeper, headline the Warriors. Sophomore striker Roxanne Sasse and junior midfielder Abigail Houseworth rank high on the Wildcats’ long list of dangerous offensive players.

The division’s other five contenders - Kaiserslautern, Lakenheath, SHAPE, Vicenza and Vilseck - will look to ease the grip those four powerhouse programs have placed on the elimination round. Kaiserslautern, which posted a winning divisional record last spring, is heavy on young players and faces a brutal early schedule with games against Ramstein and Wiesbaden over the first two weekends.

Division II

The Division II reign of the two-time champion Spangdahlem Sentinels was ended by off-field measures as DODEA-Europe realigned the small school to Division III. That leaves DODEA-Europe’s annual wild-card of a division even more wild than usual.

The Rota Admirals are the top returning team, having taken a 2-0 loss to Spangdahlem in last year’s divisional title match despite a 2-1 win in the 2018 regular season. The Black Forest Academy Falcons are the most recent champion in the mix, having claimed the 2016 crown before Spangdahlem’s reign.

But less obvious challengers have a chance to use the division’s chaos as a ladder to contention.

The AFNORTH Lions are loaded with high-potential freshmen and sophomores who might not be interested in waiting their turn. Aviano coach Robert Tiffany is working with unprecedented depth for the program and has a nice mix of returning and incoming talent.

Division III

At least one dynasty will fall this spring as the realigned Sentinels invade the turf of the four-time defending Division III champion Alconbury Dragons.

Head coach Jose Pumarejo leads a seasoned Sentinel squad featuring six returning starters and “only one purpose” - to win another European title. Freshman striker Chesney Tieyah expects to add some fresh offense to the junior core of Katie Garcia, Tahlia Mower, Chloe Smith and Izzy Smith.

Alconbury, which has beaten Sigonella 1-0 in the last three European title games, is rebuilding after taking considerable personnel losses from last year’s championship squad.

Spangdahlem visits Alconbury on April 26 to kick off the new divisional rivalry.

broome.gregory@stripes.com

Twitter: @broomestripes

Division I

The Kaiserslautern Raiders have gone through several iterations in recent seasons. They were frustrated contenders in 2015 and 2016, falling short in heartbreaking semifinals. They were conquering titans in 2017, an undefeated champion unrivalled in skill, depth and technical sophistication. And they were the resolute reigning champs in 2018, winning a second straight title in a gritty sequel to the prior season’s glamour and glitz.

So what’s next for the Raiders?

Returning coach Enrique John has just four returning players on his roster, and he’ll lean heavily on non-seniors such as defenders Colin Dyer and Elijah Daniels and forward Jahiem Allen. But John remains typically optimistic.

“This year we have a pretty rounded team, a lot of young players mixed in with the experienced returning players,” John said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.”

Among Kaiserslautern’s primary threats are the teams it beat for its two titles: the Stuttgart Panthers, who clawed their way into the 2018 final before taking a 2-1 loss to Kaiserslautern, and the Ramstein Royals, who fell 3-1 to the rival Raiders in the 2017 title match and entered the 2018 postseason an undefeated top seed before faltering against Stuttgart in the semis.

Meanwhile, the Wiesbaden Warriors will look to blast through the glass ceiling that has kept them from advancing to the championship game. Coach Ben Arcila said he’d like his squad to “develop into an offense-minded team” that can outshoot and outscore opponents. Senior forward Tyrese Harris will headline that effort, while senior center backs Anthony Hall and Joshua Scahill lead the Warrior defense.

Those four southwestern German powers will also face challenges beyond each other, including 2017 semifinalists SHAPE and Naples, the latter of which returns nine starters from its 2018 roster, and the promising Vilseck Falcons. New head coach Mary Corrigan said her team has added “a number of strong, swift and skilled players” to a solid core of seven returning starters.

Division II

The Marymount Royals have long been the team to beat in DODEA-Europe’s middle division. That’s exactly what the AFNORTH Lions did last spring.

AFNORTH stunned two-time reigning champion Marymount in a 2-1 title-match victory last spring, avenging the mercy-rule beating it absorbed against the Royals in 2016. Now it’s the Lions presenting a target for the dangerous Division II field, but the defending champions seem plenty capable of standing their ground.

New coach Mike Miano fields a team of 12 returning players, including eight of the 11 starters from last year’s game. Forward James Barata, the MVP of last year’s tournament, is back to spearhead the offense alongside fellow senior Victor Soriano. And the Lions scatter more proven seniors around the field, specifically midfielder Guillermo Rodriguez and defenders Nicolas Aponte and Lasse Bohlen.

It’s safe to expect Marymount to renew its efforts after last year’s setback, just as it did after its 2016 championship-game loss to upstart Bahrain. Marymount’s local rival American Overseas School of Rome, the runner-up in 2017 and third-place finisher in 2018, also remains a constant threat.

Black Forest Academy, meanwhile, is eager for a championship breakthrough similar to those enjoyed by Bahrain and AFNORTH in recent years. The Falcons have 10 returning players back from last year’s group and are stinging from sitting out the semifinals over the last two seasons.

“This team is quite motivated after some disappointing finishes the last few years,” BFA coach Isaac Michaels said.

Division III

None of last year’s six boys and girls European soccer champions won as overwhelmingly as the Brussels Brigands, who enjoyed an undefeated Division III regular season, a dominant run through the small-school tournament and a 7-0 victory over overmatched Ansbach in the championship match.

While a third straight title isn’t out of the question, success won’t come so readily for this year’s Brussels squad. The Brigands are undertaking a rebuilding project with just three returning players as a foundation.

Ansbach, the runner-up to Brussels in 2017 and 2018, will again field a co-ed boys soccer squad this spring and will look to capitalize on any vulnerability displayed by the reigning champions. The Cougars have seven players back from their 2018 group.

Among the division’s other contenders are Alconbury, which won the 2016 title ahead of Brussels’ two year-streak, steady contender Sigonella and Division II transplant Spangdahlem.

broome.gregory@stripes.com

Twitter: @broomestripes

Ramstein won its fifth consecutive DODEA-Europe Division I boys basketball championship Saturday at Clay Kaserne Fitness Center, defeating the archrival Kaiserslautern Raiders for the second year in a row in a 48-39 comeback victory.

The Royals tied a prestigious DODEA-Europe record with the championship, matching Heidleberg’s run from 2000 to 2004 for the longest basketball title streak in the organization’s history. The win also completed an undefeated 2018-19 season.

Ramstein head coach Andrew O’Connor recalled his start at a volunteer assistant with the Royals, visiting Heidelberg and marveling at the collection of banners.

“I remember...thinking ‘that’s impossible,’” O’Connor said. “‘How it that possible?’”

The Royals made it reality Saturday, even after falling into their usual pattern of spotting an early lead to Kaiserslautern.

The Raiders attempted to shoot their way out of the years-long slump against the Royals with a blistering start from distance. Three-pointers by Isaak Pacheco and Bryan Lunn gave the Raiders early leads, and a pair of quick-hitting three-pointers by Ervin Johnson extended their advantage. Meanwhile, Kaiserslautern harassed Ramstein into misses and miscues and the Royals mostly misfired on what open looks they did manufacture.

The reigning champs began to methodically carve into the imposing double-digit deficit in the second quarter. Point guard Jerod Little drained two three-pointers and Jason Jones Jr. dropped in a putback and a fast-break layup to highlight an 18-3 run that put the Royals up two at halftime and negated Kaiserslautern’s encouraging start.

Both teams struggled offensively out of the halftime locker room until Ramstein unleashed another sudden surge. Gabe Fraley knocked down a corner three-pointer and Little drew three defenders to the rim and handed an assist to Naser Eaves for a 34-27 Ramstein lead with under three minutes to play in the quarter. Kaiserslautern briefly trimmed the Ramstein lead to three midway through the fourth, but the Royals capably restored a multiple-possession lead.

“My boys were ready to play. We’re kind of streaky,” Kaiserslautern coach Corey Sullivan said. “We’ve got to ride the good with the bad.”

The Royals would have preferred not to play from behind yet again, but they never doubted they’d reverse the momentum.

“Every time we play Kaiserslautern, it’s like a battle,” Eaves said. “They came out hot and we waited for it die down, and it almost didn’t die down for a second. As soon as it did, the comeback was real.”

The title brought an end to the prep careers of Ramstein seniors Eaves and Fraley, four-year Royals who won varsity titles as sophomores, juniors and seniors.

“They’re everything,” O’Connor said. “They’re the epitome of Ramstein Royals.”

The senior duo reminisced on their own early days with the program, watching the upperclassmen rack up titles and looking forward to when their turn would come.

Eaves was named the tournament’s most valuable player Saturday.

“We didn’t know our legacy was going to be like that,” Eaves said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Fraley scored 10 points in his typically solid all-around effort.

“You dream about this type of stuff,” Fraley said. “It’s great to be out here and be able to live this out.”

Kaiserslautern, too, is no stranger to the championship game, but it remains trapped in the upside-down version of things. The Raiders have now played the runner-up to Ramstein in four of the Royals’ five championship-game triumphs and fell to the Royals in the semifinals in the other year. Kaiserslautern’s heartbreak reached its apex in 2018 as Ramstein stormed back for a stunning 46-45 victory.

“I’m proud of my boys. They work hard. I wish I could do more for them,” Sullivan said. “In our community, we often are thought of as a second-hand school. We’re not.”

Kaiserslautern’s Johnson scored a game-high 19 points in the loss. Jones paced Ramstein with 16 points, scoring a consistent four points per quarter.

The Royals’ latest coronation was an appropriate end to a day of championship games that saw five reigning champions successfully defend their titles. That list includes the Division III Baumholder boys and Sigonella girls, the Division II Black Forest boys, and the Division I Stuttgart girls and Ramstein boys. American Overseas School of Rome was the day’s only new champion with a win in the Division II girls title game.

But all that action continued a maddening trend for the annual event. The Division I boys final tipped off at 9:52 p.m. CET, nearly two and a half hours after its scheduled 7:30 p.m. start time.

broome.gregory@stripes.com

Twitter: @broomestripes

But the Stuttgart senior left the court Saturday with a claim that few of her peers or predecessors in DODEA-Europe girls basketball can claim: three-time champion.

After playing even with rival Ramstein through three and a half quarters, the Panthers owned the last few minutes in a 27-24 victory – their third straight championship.

And Maher, who finished with 10 points, was a big reason.

Robin Hess, Stuttgart head coach, had one thing to say about Maher as she walked off to celebrate with her team: “Adan Maher is a born leader.”

Maher’s steal and subsequent layup tied the game at 21-21 with 5 minutes, 6 seconds left to play.

Ramstein forged ahead again. Two free throws by Liv Sullens put Stuttgart back on top 25-24.

Maher made it 26-24 with another free throw. Then, with Ramstein trying to tie the game, Sullens came up with the ball after a wild scramble and was fouled with 10 seconds left.

She missed the free throw. But Skye DaSilva Mathis grabbed it and two more consecutive rebounds and was fouled on her third attempt to score. She made one free throw to increase Stuttgart’s lead to 27-24 but missed the second.

Maher was there to grab the miss, though, and dribbled until she was fouled with 1.3 seconds to go. She drained both free throws and the game was over.

“It was a tough game and we just needed to play the best we could,” Maher said. “We had to keep looking for the backdoor cutters. They were killing us the first half. We did what our coach taught us and played good solid defense.”

Ramstein’s Alexis Tri and Maher battled throughout the first half that was marked by hustle and a few nifty drives to the basket, but not many points.

The first quarter ended 6-2 in Stuttgart’s favor. Ramstein battled back to tie it at 10-10 at halftime and the two teams were tied at 19-19 entering the final period.

Knowles.aaron@stripes.com

Twitter: @AKStripes

The game itself more than lived up to that billing.

The Black Forest Academy Falcons won their third consecutive Division II boys hoops title Saturday at Clay Kaserne Fitness Center, pulling ahead late in the fourth quarter to outlast the upstart Bahrain Falcons 47-40.

Jacob Fortune hit six free throws in the final two minutes and Gabriel Kruse, whose semifinal buzzer-beater sent BFA back to the finals in the first place, knocked down four free throws over the final 17 seconds to break open a close game and extend the BFA dynasty.

The win was the latest in a season of intense games against tough opponents, including regular-season matchups against the likes of Division I elimination-round participants Kaiserslautern, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden and Division III finalists Baumholder and Ansbach. The challenges continued in the tournament as BFA won its three postseason games before Saturday by a combined nine points.

“We’ve had such a great schedule all year. We’ve had games that have helped us get better all year,” BFA coach David Kruse said. “They’ve all been tough. It’s been great.”

Fortune, who finished with 16 points, attributed his and his team’s success to faith. BFA is a Christian international school based in Kandern, Germany, and a longtime competitor in DODEA-Europe athletics.

“God has gotten us through it,” Fortune said.

That includes Fortune’s clutch performance under the quiet pressure applied by fourth-quarter free throws.

“Walking up to the free-throw line I’m talking to myself and what I’m saying is, ‘God, you are with me. God, you are good,’” Fortune said. “It helps me to not focus on all the people around me but focus on the one who’s giving me the gifts to play basketball.”

BFA built a six-point halftime lead on the strength of crafty drives to the hoop by Fortune and a long stretch of pinball passing, including a string of vintage give-and-go plays. But the champs couldn’t put Bahrain any further behind as they struggled through a four-point third quarter, and the challengers got all the way back when star guard Derrick Lee drew a foul on a buzzer-beating three-point attempt and swished all three free throws to tie the game entering the fourth quarter.

Kruse, the tournament’s most outstanding player, matched Fortune with 16 points for BFA. Lee totaled a game-high 21 in defeat.

The hard-fought final settled a competitive bracket that was perhaps the most eventful of any of DODEA-Europe’s six concurrent postseason hoops tournaments.

Reigning champion Black Forest won its two pool games by a total of seven points, including a 45-40 defeat of Bahrain on Thursday, while Bahrain claimed the pool’s second seed. The opposite pool produced a three-way tie for its two semifinal berths, the second of which went to Rota ahead of Aviano immediately after Aviano beat Rota in a preliminary matchup. BFA edged Rota in a twisty 49-47 semifinal reminiscent of BFA’s 48-47 defeat of Rota in last year’s European title game.

Bahrain’s ongoing quest for a championship fell painfully short on Saturday, but head coach Emiliano Herrera was thrilled at what this year’s team accomplished for the program.

“It’s great for our program, great for our school,” Herrera said of his team’s first boys basketball final appearance. “We’re making history tonight.”

broome.gregory@stripes.com

Twitter: @broomestripes