SHAPE's Javier Jimenez, left, clears the ball in front off Black Forest Academy's Judson Godbold in the Division II final at the DODDS-Europe soccer finals in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday night. BFA won the game 3-2 in overtime. Watching the action at left is Bruce Briggs. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
SHAPE's Javier Jimenez, left, clears the ball in front off Black Forest Academy's Judson Godbold in the Division II final at the DODDS-Europe soccer finals in Ramstein, Germany, Saturday night. BFA won the game 3-2 in overtime. Watching the action at left is Bruce Briggs. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Black Forest Academy's Josiah Hanchett gets his head on the ball despite the defense of SHAPE's Piotr Kwiecien, Michael Clampitt and Daniele Coccia, and his ownn teammate Bruce Briggs. Hanchett later scored the 3-2 winning goal in overtime. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Black Forest Academy's Josiah Hanchett celebrates his game winning goal with teammates Bruce Briggs, left, and Judson Godbold, right. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Fittingly, it was senior forward Josiah Hanchett who banged home the deciding goal two minutes into overtime on Saturday evening to give Black Forest Academy a 3-2 victory over the top-seeded SHAPE Spartans in the boys’ European Division II championship soccer game.
"He saved the best for last," Hanchett’s teammate and tourney MVP Jun Yoeb Kim said of BFA’s suddenly prolific scorer, who had just finished notching his 10th goal in BFA’s six tournament games. "He only scored two goals all season."
Although Hanchett’s goal was the decider which earned BFA its second straight D-II title and its fifth since 2001, it was the BFA defense in front of goalkeeper Josh Hawkins which had to make good on the promise. It held off furious SHAPE counterattacks for the rest of the 10-minute overtime session to preserve the victory and reverse the outcome of the 2006 title game between the teams, won 1-0 by SHAPE in double-overtime.
"It’s scary," Hawkins said afterward about facing the big legs and quick feet of the previously unbeaten Spartans, "but I have an amazing defense in front of me."
Hawkins was fairly amazing himself. He made a huge save 6:44 into the game on a drive by SHAPE’s high-scoring Pablo Martinez, and his defenders, especially all-tournament pick Aaron McKinney and backline mates Mike Brucato and Yoel Kim got heads, feet and toes on several passes into the box that would have posed problems for Hawkins had they not done so.
"They worked us hard," Hawkins said.
BFA senior midfielder Bruce Briggs opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half. Standing unmarked 10 yards in front of the SHAPE net, Briggs slammed his head into Kim’s free kick from 30 yards away and hammered the ball through the hands of the diving SHAPE goalkeeper.
"It’s pretty phenomenal," Briggs said about his scoring opportunity on DODDS-Europe’s biggest stage. "You always like to have a good game against a team like SHAPE."
SHAPE used a free kick to tie the score five minutes later. Martinez launched a screamer from the top of the box, and the ball deflected left off the BFA wall directly to Piotr Kwiecien, who headed it crisply into the left side of the net.
BFA, which tied SHAPE 1-1 on the road on April 12, regained the lead moments later when Sang Jin Yoon volleyed a pass that came to him at the top of the left side of the box and one-hopped it inside the far post.
SHAPE forced overtime on a scrambling play typical of the kind Hawkins and Co. faced all day.
Kwiecien curled a corner kick just past the near post that would have tied the game had not McKinney cleared it off the line. Unfortunately for the defending and future champions, the desperation clearance pass went straight to the right foot of Martinez, who drilled it home from the left side of the box.
Hanchett, however, had the last word in OT as BFA upped its 2008 record against SHAPE to 1-0-1.
"This game was different than the first time we played them," Kim said of the contrasting level of effort between regular- and postseason play. "This was more intense."
