Naples midfielder Colin McCord and American Overseas School of Rome winger Federico Ghione fight for possession during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
REICHENBACH-STEEGEN, Germany – The Vicenza boys soccer team experienced a deflating regular season that saw the Cougars go winless.
Entering the first day of the Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on Monday, the Cougars banked on everything trying to upset fifth-seeded Bahrain in their opener, only to drop the contest 2-0.
Next up was undefeated top-seed Marymount, which began its tournament run with a 1-0 victory over Black Forest Academy.
The Cougars understood they were the underdogs, but they resolved to use that mentality to their advantage.
“We have nothing to lose,” Vicenza junior Jacob McGovern said of the team’s mindset. “Let’s just have fun with it.”
The result: the upset of the tournament. Eighth-seeded Vicenza beat the Royals 4-3 on Monday afternoon, sending shockwaves about which fans and coaches around both the grass and turf fields hosting the girls and boys tournaments couldn’t stop talking.
“This was the first time we saw a glimpse of hope of winning,” McGovern said. “We’ve always gotten smoked each game, so it was really nice to see us holding up with the one of the top teams.”
Vicenza’s victory threw Pool A of the boys competition into disarray.
Everybody within the pool still has a chance of advancing to Wednesday’s semifinals, depending on Tuesday’s results. Two scenarios could lead to two separate three-way ties – be it at 2-1 to decide which two advance or at 1-2 to decide for the last spot.
“We said from the beginning: This is a tough group,” Marymount coach Alex Klainos said. “Anyone can beat anyone. The division is quite open.”
The Cougars (1-6-2) and Royals (6-1) played May 9, with Marymount taking that contest 3-0.
Vicenza coach John Kohut said he and his players recognized the importance of Royal stars Federico Pipitone and Giovanni Merico.
Kohut deployed Kyler Mukai on Merico and freshman defender Grayson Morales on Pipitone. And it worked, as neither found the scoresheet with Santiago Soro, Nicholas Lorenzelli and Pedro Braz Martins collecting the Royals’ goals.
The Vicenza coach heaped a lot of praise on Mukai.
“He did a great job of stopping (Merico) from trying to get the ball because he ran circles around us in Vicenza last time we played them,” Kohut said of the junior defender.
American Overseas School of Rome central midfielder Silvia Goldman receives a pass during the first day of pool-play action against Bahrain at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples midfielder Michal Oleksa, center right, celebrates with fellow Wildcat midfielder Joshua Banks after scoring during the first day of pool-play action against Rota at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples midfielder Joshua Banks dribbles between Rota's Christian Smith, left, and Leo McFarland, right during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy defender Jack Cox tackles Bahrain midfielder Nkanyiso Gumede during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Bahrain attacker Yousif Seifeldein celebrates after scoring against Vicenza during the first day of pool-play action of the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza shopmore Luis Roa boots the ball ahead of Bahrain winger Zeyad Ramadan during the first day of pool-play action of the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Rota forward Howard McLean dribbles with the ball during the first day of pool-play action against Aviano at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
The Vicenza Cougars celebrate after the final whistle in their 4-3 victory over top-seeded Marymount during the first day of pool-play action of the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Offensively, the Cougars blitzed Marymount in spurts.
McGovern and sophomore forward Benedict Morton combined on the team’s first goal, and then McGovern assisted senior Ken Tapong to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead early in the second half.
After Marymount equalized, things looked like it could be business as usual.
Until McGovern stepped up again, that is. The Enumclaw, Wash., native launched a free kick of more than 40 yards that floated into the net.
“I’ve been messing around with those shots every time during practice, and I knew I could hit it,” McGovern said.
Not too long after McGovern’s second score, Morton set up Luis Roa with a through ball, and the sophomore curled it past Marymount’s Ernesto Bocca for what turned out to be the match-winner.
The Royal coach said the team must do damage control psychologically heading into a big matchup with Bahrain in the team’s final pool-play match.
“They still have their destiny in their own hands,” Klainos said. “I feel right now, we’re getting caught up in our emotions, and we must see there’s still a whole tournament in front of us, and we need to win the next game to continue to be a part of it.”
The Falcons (5-2-1) find themselves atop the group after two wins, including a 1-0 nail-bitter over BFA. Bahrain’s Yousif Seifeldein scored the decider against BFA after receiving a through ball that set him off near the halfway line.
That was the junior’s second goal of the tournament after scoring his team’s second against Vicenza.
The performances have the Falcons flying high.
“Coming into this tournament, I never expected us to be ahead of everyone else, especially against a team like MMI and (BFA),” said Seifeldein, who moved to Bahrain from the States in December.
Still, the Falcons know they haven’t punched their ticket into the semifinals. A win or tie against the Royals will be enough, but a loss and a Vicenza victory over BFA will send the trio into a goal-differential tiebreaker.
“Now, we’re going to concentrate all on tomorrow for MMI,” Bahrain coach Emiliano Herrera said. “MMI is a strong team. I don’t know what happened today in the game with Vicenza, but they put us in a little trouble tomorrow because … we have to win.
“Yes, it’s putting a lot of pressure on us even though we won two games.”
Black Forest Academy goalkeeper Tommaso Marinucci saves a shot from Marymount center forward Nicholas Lorenzelli during the first day of pool-play action of the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza sophomore Luis Roa shoots the match-winning goal as Marymount left back Santiago Soro tries to defend during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza defender Grayson Morales rises above a crowd of fellow Cougars and Marymount Royals during the first day of pool-play action of the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount central midfielder Giovanni Merico tries to control the ball with his head during the first day of pool-play action against Black Forest Academy at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy defender Jongin Park chases after a ball during the first day of pool-play action against Marymount at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano defender Nevaeh Zamora dribbles through the midfield against Black Forest Academy during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples defender Sonja Gottlieb controls the ball while fellow defender Mattivi Keilah follows during the first day of pool-play action against Black Forest Academy at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
American Overseas School of Rome goalkeeper Valerio Natali turns after reaching the ball before Naples forward Magnus Aul during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
American Overseas School of Rome center forward Andrea Torelli turns against Aviano forward Cruz Cottingham during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano midfielder Liv Tate throws in the ball against Marymount during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Marymount center back Katia Chen, center, and Aviano midfielder Gigi Fortuna leap to head a ball during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza forward Jenina Smith shoots during the first day of pool-play action against Bahrain at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza forward Maya Fitch and Rota senior Allie DeMeritt tussle as the ball comes into the box during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Bahrain defender Omar Khattab boots the ball away from Black Forest Academy forward Paul Son during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Bahrain goalkeeper Jayda Miller checks to make sure she didn't step over the goal line after saving a Vicenza shot during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Rota central midfielder Emma Montoya launches in a corner kick during the first day of pool-play action against Vicenza at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Aviano’s Joseph Guerrero heads the ball over American Overseas School of Rome central midfielder Riley Smith during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Black Forest Academy defender Lily Cox and Naples forward Emerson Shorey tussle for the ball during the first day of pool-play action at the 2025 Division II DODEA European championships at the stadium of VfB Reichenbach on May 19, 2025, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
The girls bracket, meanwhile, didn’t produce a single upset.
In the day’s biggest matchup between Nos. 2 and 3, Vicenza rode an eighth minute goal by Julia Rudy to defeat Rota 1-0. A free kick bounced off the crossbar and onto the foot of the senior right midfielder, who found the back of the net.
“My brain was thinking, ‘You have to take the shot. If you don’t take the shot, you won’t know if you’re going to make it or not,’” Julia Rudy said. “I went with it, and I made it.”
The Cougars followed that performance with a 4-0 victory over Bahrain. Maya Fitch recorded a hat-trick to power Vicenza then.
Like the boys, the Cougars haven’t punched their spot in the semifinal yet, but a win against American Overseas School of Rome will clinch the top spot.
And like the girls, the Vicenza boys are riding high heading into their tournament decider against BFA on Tuesday.
“We’re pretty hyped right now,” McGovern said. “We’re going to keep the momentum from this game and keep holding onto that hope.”
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