Heidelberg goalie James Key and Kaiserslautern’s Alex Jimenez go after the ball during opening-day action in the DODDS-Europe Division I soccer tournament in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Wednesday. Heidelberg won 6-1. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Heidelberg goalie James Key and Kaiserslautern’s Alex Jimenez go after the ball during opening-day action in the DODDS-Europe Division I soccer tournament in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Wednesday. Heidelberg won 6-1. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Vilseck’s Rosa Leon, left, and Aviano’s Tiffany Hight watch Hight’s shot on goal in the DODDS-Europe Division II soccer tournament Wednesday in Ramstein, Germany. Hight’s goal put Aviano ahead 1-0, but the game ended in a 1-1 tie after Sabrina Gilg’s equalizer. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Ankara’s Christopher Wilson, left, and Alconbury’s Dominick Sherenco battle for the ball in a match that ended in a 1-1 tie in the DODDS-Europe Division IV soccer tournament on Wednesday in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Wiesbaden’s boys and Vilseck’s girls pulled off the biggest surprises Wednesday as play began in all four divisions of the DODDS-Europe soccer tournament with 61 games on seven fields in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
Wiesbaden’s fifth-seeded boys handed top-seeded but scholastically depleted International School of Brussels its first loss of the season, 1-0, and Vilseck’s ninth-seeded girls held Italy champion and second-seeded Aviano to its first non-winning outcome of the season with a 1-1 tie.
Wiesbaden’s victory in the Division I tournament turned the tables on an ISB team that downed it 5-0 in March. This time, ISB played without four senior starters, who remained in Belgium to take international baccalaureate exams.
Sabrina Gilg scored a first-half goal for Vilseck as it tied Aviano in the Division II tournament. Later in the day, Vilseck lost 1-0 to third-seeded Hanau on a rebound goal in front of the Vilseck net.
Tamaria Hollis of Vilseck saw the two games as vindication after an 0-5-1 season.
“They underestimated us,” she said. “We came here to win.”
But Hanau’s Kate Maccagnan, whose first-half goal made the difference in its victory, said she was not surprised by Vilseck’s play.
“They played well,” she said of the team Hanau defeated twice during the regular season. “Everybody plays differently in Europeans.”
Everybody except Patch’s girls, that is. The defending Division II champions shut out Black Forest Academy 3-0 and SHAPE 1-0 to open their title defense.
In other Division I boys games, Heidelberg, which had won eight straight European Division I crowns before being supplanted last year by Ramstein, gained a measure of revenge by downing the third-seeded Royals 1-0. The goal came on a penalty kick awarded the second-seeded Lions in the game’s waning seconds.
“It was a well-played game,” said Tommy Appel-Schumacher, a mainstay of last year’s Ramstein team who passed up this year with the Royals to play on a top German youth team. “The referee just ruled they were a little rough in the box. It’s tough to lose on the last play of the game.”
In Division I girls play, unbeaten Heidelberg rolled over Lakenheath 4-0, and defending champion Ramstein routed Würzburg 7-0 after being held to a scoreless tie against Kaiserslautern.
In boys Division II, defending champion Black Forest Academy blanked Aviano 3-0, and second-seeded AFNORTH, like BFA unbeaten this season, edged Mannheim 2-1. Third-seeded Naples also downed Mannheim, 4-1.
In the Division III event, three-time defending champion American Overseas School of Rome opened its bid for its fourth straight title with a 3-0 whitewash of Baumholder, the same score by which second-seeded Hohenfels downed Ansbach.
There were no girls Division III games on Wednesday.
In Division IV, both defending champions posted first-game shutouts. The Brussels girls topped Ankara 1-0, and the Milan boys throttled Incirlik 7-0.
Pool play continues at 8 a.m. Thursday. Capping the action will be the Division I semifinals and the Division IV girls semis.
Divisions I and IV championship games are Friday, with the Division II and Division III finals on Saturday.
DODDS-Europe soccer championshipsRAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Early results Wednesday in the DODDS-Europe Divisions I, II, III and IV soccer tournaments, which end Saturday. Preliminary round games are 60 minutes. Semifinals and finals will be 80 minutes:
Wednesday
Boys
Division I
(at Vogelweh)
Lakenheath 2, Wiesbaden 1
Heidelberg 1, Ramstein 0
Kaiserslautern 6, Würzburg 0
Wiesbaden 1, Int’l School of Brussels 0
Heidelberg 6, Kaiserslautern 1
Ramstein 7, Würzburg 0
ISB vs. Lakenheath, late
Division II
(at Nanzdietschweiler)
SHAPE 5, Vilseck 0
Black Forest Academy 3, Aviano 0
AFNORTH 2, Mannheim 1
Hanau 3, Patch 2
Naples 4, Mannheim 1
Bitburg 3, Aviano 1
BFA vs. Vilseck, late
Division III
(at Hutschenhausen)
Bamberg 3, Sigonella 0
American Overseas School of Rome 3, Baumholder 0
Marymount 7, Vicenza 0
Hohenfels 3, Ansbach 0
Baumholder 2, London Central 0
Rota vs. Marymount, late
Hohenfels vs. Vicenza, late
AOSR vs. Sigonella, late
Division IV
(at Kapaun Air Station)
Giessen 6, Incirlik 1
Lajes 5, Menwith Hill 0
Brussels 1, Iceland 0
Alconbury 1, Ankara 1
Milan 7, Incirlik 0
Brussels 3, Giessen 2
Alconbury vs. Lajes, late
Milan vs. Iceland, late
Ankara vs. Menwith Hill, late
Girls
Division I
(at Hutchschenhausen)
Int’l School of Brussels 3, Lakenheath 0
Wiesbaden 2, Würzburg 0
Heidelberg 4, Lakenheath 0
Ramstein 7, Würzburg 0
Kaiserslautern 2, Wiesbaden 0
Heidelberg vs. ISB, late
Division II
(at Ramstein High School)
Mannheim 4, SHAPE 0
Patch 3, Black Forest Academy 0
Aviano 1, Vilseck 1
AFNORTH 2, Bitburg 1
Hanau 1, Vilseck 0
Naples 2, BFA 1
Patch 1, SHAPE 0
Aviano vs Bitburg, late
Hanau vs. AFNORTH, late
Mannheim vs. Naples, late
Division III
No games scheduled
Division IV
(at Kapaun Air Station)
Menwith Hill 1, Iceland 1
Alconbury 0, Giessen 0
Brussels 1, Ankara 0
Milan 0, Lajes 0
Brussels 5, Iceland 1
Alconbury 0, Milan 0
Menwith Hill vs. Ankara, late
Giessen vs. Lajes, late
