Naples' VaNae Filer managed to avoid hitting teammate Ava Williams with this shot on goal Wednesday, May 22, 2024, while missing an opportunity to score her fourth goal of the match during the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
REICHENBACH-STEEGEN, Germany – If karma truly exists, Maya Fitch cashed in on some Wednesday in the semifinals of the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships.
Fitch, a junior who missed most of the soccer season due to a foot injury sustained in basketball, earned a lot during the last several months. She contributed to two goals – including the game-winner – with the unintentional help of Black Forest Academy defenders in the Cougars’ 3-2 victory.
As a result, Vicenza takes on Naples at Ramstein High School with the championship on the line Thursday. The Wildcats dethroned the Cougars a year ago in the title game.
The terror who scored 27 goals a year ago isn’t all the way back yet. But, Fitch said: “After that game, I feel 100%.”
Vicenza might need 150% against Naples, though. The Wildcats knocked off a stubborn Rota squad 3-1 to reach the finals. They haven’t lost this season. The closest game was a 3-2 decision over Vicenza.
“We respect them, but we’re not afraid of them,” Fitch said.
Fitch opened the scoring Wednesday by hustling up the right sideline and firing a cross right in front of the goal. But it connected with a Rota defender rushing to help and bounced into the goal.
The Falcons tied the match almost immediately, though, as Jade Hernandez’s kick from straight on sailed into the goal just under the crossbar. BFA then went ahead on a goal from Esther Lee, before the Cougars answered when Kayla Steimle’s kick traversed much of the width of the goal before crossing the line.
Vicenza’s go-ahead goal came early in the second half when Fitch headed the ball off a corner kick and it appeared to glance off at least one defender while bouncing into the goal.
Vicenza coach Philip Paniagua said Steimle and fellow freshman forward Natalia Lopez have had to take up much of the slack that Fitch had carried in the past. And he then named about half his roster also making contributions in her absence.
“This has really been a hard season,” he said. “We had to be patient and wait for players to heal. But here we are.”
BFA, which only played two divisional games before the season-ending tournament, had trouble finishing Wednesday.
“I think we owned most of the game,” coach Hannah Pineda said. “We just had some unfortunate things not go our way.”
Naples' Hayden Medford gets a shot past Rota's Emma Montoya on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Emerson Shorey tries to score over a wall of Rota defenders with a free kick Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples' Jazmin Miranda tries to chase down Rota's Amaya Tate and the ball while the Admirals' Akira Terlaje is ready to jump in Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Naples 3, Rota 1: VaNae Filer scored three times and might have used up a bit of karma herself for at least one of them.
After she booted in the first goal, Filer stood among a crowd awaiting a corner kick in front of the Rota goal. The ball deflected off a Rota defender, landing right at Filer’s feet. She didn’t waste an instant before booting it in. She later scored on a penalty kick.
Filer, who helped lead the school to a girls basketball title in the fall, joked she somehow just seems to be at the right place at the right time, whether it’s collecting rebounds or scoring goals.
“I guess I’m quick on my feet,” she said.
Rota cut the score to 2-1 on Gracelyn Markowski’s goal before Filer’s last goal of the day, but couldn’t get the ball into the net again.
“They’re a strong team,” Admiral coach Lilia Anderson said of the Wildcats. “Very physical. I think we did pretty well to hang with them most of the game.”
Naples coach Alyson Parenteau said she was disappointed the teams didn’t meet during the regular season. “They’ve improved a lot from last year,” she said.
As for her own team, Parenteau said she was happy with the result but not so much of her team’s execution. “Hopefully, we’ll play (tomorrow) like we practice.”
Filer said she thinks the team will play better.
“We’ve worked a lot this season to get to this point,” she said. “They’re a tough team. But we’re ready.”
Black Forest Academy players react with horror as they watch a header from Vicenza's Maya Fitch elude them and slowly bounce into the goal Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy's Sierra Tweedy chases Vicenza's Avonlea Sparling and the ball Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II boys soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy's Hana Radi launches a free kick towards a wall of Vicenza defenders Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Her ponytails might indicate she's going left, but Vicenza's Hannah Pratt actually did inbound the ball straight in front of her in a semifinal match Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
American Overseas School of Rome's Ariella Covalin Mizrahi gets a shot off against Aviano in the Falcons' 2-0 victory in the fifth-place game of the DODEA European Division II girls soccer championships at Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
