RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Derby matches are meant to be close, no matter the teams’ record.

When the Ramstein and Kaiserslautern boys and girls soccer teams met at Ramstein High School on Friday evening, that proved to be the case. The Royals won both matches – the girls 5-1 and the boys 8-3 – but the Raiders gave the hosts a run for their money.

“This year, K-Town showed us they can give us some competition,” said Ramstein girls co-captain Abby Belote, who recalled last year’s seven-goal regular-season victory. “Us as Ramstein girls enjoyed that competition.”

Ramstein boys coach Dominik Ludes couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.

“It’s a good rivalry, it’s healthy and today was a very good example of this,” Ludes said. “It was an exciting game, a typical derby game, lots of emotions on the field.”

Girls

The Royals (4-0, 4-0) were frustrated at halftime.

They had just a two-goal lead despite having a distinct advantage in possession and shots (12-0) and shots on goal (6-0). The Raiders (1-3, 1-2) blocked so many other shots to keep the potent Ramstein offense at bay.

Thus, the hosts discussed staying patient during the team talk.

“We decided we needed to become more aggressive, we need to really want it,” Ramstein senior co-captain Jillian Buckley said. “Everyone understood what the job was. We made some needed adjustments, and I think it worked out great in the end.”

What followed that talk was an offensive outburst that blew the match wide open.

The Royals scored three goals over the first 15 minutes of the second half, beginning with a goal from right winger Isabel Fischer. The senior hit the shot with so much power that it went through the hands of Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Jada Hollis and into the net in the 43rd minute.

Attacking midfielder Isabelle Donkin passed the ball to striker Claire Boynton off a corner in the 53rd minute, and Fischer crossed a ball to defensive midfielder Audrey Singer for a left-footed shot two minutes later to finish the scoring.

“I think it’s important to have these (matches) now,” Belote said. “If we are having these frustrations or the team is as aggressive as us, we can learn how to handle those frustrations or problems and fix them.”

In the first half, attacking midfielder Olivia Davis opened the scoring by forcing a turnover as Kaiserslautern tried to play out the back off a goal kick in the 12th minute, and left winger Kayla Groat found the back of the net from a tight angle in the 21st minute.

One problem the Royals faced was the Raiders’ physicality, something with which Buckley said last year’s squad struggled.

“This season, we’ve been focusing heavily on making sure that we are not just a fast team, not just a skillful team, but we’re also a strong team,” Buckley said.

Kaiserslautern picked up a goal from sophomore Ryann Phillips, who looped a 27-yard free kick over Ramstein goalkeeper Liberty Snyder’s head in the upper right corner. Her opponent, Buckley, described it as “beautiful.”

Coach Aaron Scalise said the Raiders continue to show improvement, but they also rued that 15-minute spell.

“Had we weathered that storm, had we not given up that goal through the hands, maybe then they get a little rattled,” Scalise said. “Maybe they’re nervous (that) we’re not dying like all the other teams are doing.”

Boys

For the second consecutive week, the Royals (3-1, 3-1) found themselves down in a match. For the second consecutive week, they made a comeback.

This time, though, Ramstein completed it.

Trailing 2-1 in the 23rd minute after Kaiserslautern’s Aaron Zamor connected on a 29-yard free kick, the Royals scored three goals before the break and never looked back.

Center back Mathias Bailey, up the field on a set piece, equalized in the 24th minute. The ball pinballed in the box, and the senior pounced on it to score from point-blank range.

Just three minutes later, Keiran Goodall beat Raider keeper Phoenix Meikle to the near post, and in the 34th minute, senior midfielder Max Speed launched a cross-field, diagonal pass that set Andrew Soto free behind the back line for the team’s fourth goal.

“It’s a character test for the players on the field,” Ludes said. “There’s no drill for that; you can’t coach that. The players showed character last week, and the players showed character this week.”

Speed’s assist was a theme for the Royals against the Raiders (0-4, 0-3).

Ramstein attempted through ball after through ball to put its attackers behind Kaiserslautern’s defensive three – to various success. While the hosts managed 11 shots on goal, they also were whistled for offside seven times.

“The first five minutes, they were playing a high line, three in the back,” Goodall said. “We used the opportunity to play those balls. It worked perfectly.”

Goodall was one player who took advantage. The winger recorded a hat trick, adding a goal in the 67th minute and a penalty in the 73rd after being tripped up in the box.

Even with Goodall’s triple, the Royals had numerous goal scorers. Junior Joseph Yost scored twice and Speed converted a penalty in the 44th minute.

“Yes, one player had a hat trick, but we have so many players offensively that are creative with the ball that are contributing to the goals,” Ludes said. “That’s something really nice to have as a coach.”

Kaiserslautern coach Enrique John expressed pride in his team, calling it the best performance of the season.

The Raiders trailed just 5-3 in the 48th minute after Zamor scored his second free-kick goal in the 48th minute. That was the team’s third goal off a set piece in the match, the other when Niko Engeman poked home a ball that bounced around in the box to equalize in the 20th minute.

“Today I saw what was missing in the games before,” John said. “We went out there, and we took the game to them.”

K-town Sports

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