AFNORTH sophomore Emery Koger dribbles toward the goal as Spangdahlem defender Lena Maassen tries to keep up during the second day of round-robin action at the 2025 Division III DODEA European championships on May 20, 2025, at Rothenborn Stadion in Landstuhl, Germany. The Lions defeated Ansbach 3-1 on Wednesday to advance to Thursday’s title match at Ramstein High School. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

LANDSTUHL, Germany – The Sigonella girls soccer team came to a consensus about Wednesday’s match against Spangdahlem the night before: It wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

The Sentinels on Tuesday upset AFNORTH, the No. 1 seed in the Division III girls tournament at the 2025 DODEA European championships. That put Sigonella on notice, even if the Jaguars had beaten and tied Spangdahlem in their two regular-season meetings.

At the final whistle, the Jaguars managed to get the best of Sentinels one more time with a 2-1 victory at Rothenborn Stadion.

“They were a team that looks like it was peaking throughout this tournament,” Sigonella coach Andy Reardon said. “We knew this was going to be a very tough fight.

“It was very nervy. Our team was anxious for the first 5, 10 minutes. I could sense it, but then we fell into our flow and we managed to be able to finish off that game.”

Sigonella striker Madison Hoy launches a free kick during the second day of round-robin action against Brussels at the 2025 Division III DODEA European championships on May 20, 2025, at Rothenborn Stadion in Landstuhl, Germany. The Jaguars clinched a spot in the Division III title match Wednesday with a 2-1 win over Spangdahlem, and they will face defending champion AFNORTH on Thursday at Ramstein High School. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

What made the match even more stressful for the Jaguars (6-4-2) was it was win or go home, as a spot in Thursday’s title match was on the line.

Sigonella needed a win to give the team nine points in round-robin play. That meant the squad would be tied with AFNORTH, which defeated Ansbach earlier Wednesday 3-1.

Spangdahlem, meanwhile, missed out despite being on the same record as the Jaguars and the Lions. The Sentinels (7-3-1) recorded a shootout win over Brussels earlier in the tournament, and that counted for just two points instead of the three for a regular victory.

Thus, Spangdahlem had only eight points.

So, both the Sentinels and Jaguars were motivated to pick up the win Wednesday, and Sigonella’s Charlize Caro said that was evident on the field.

“It was all or nothing, basically,” the senior striker said. “It was definitely a challenge because they brought a lot of heat and they played a great tournament.

“It was one of the most intense games of my high school career. It was down to the last whistle.”

Caro scored Sigonella’s first, while junior striker Madison Hoy produced what proved to be the match winner.

That final goal continued the tear that Hoy has been on during the tournament.

“What she has provided this tournament has been the offensive power to get past defenders and put the ball on goal,” Reardon said of Hoy. “She’s been a very vital part of this team’s success.”

The Jaguars advance to face the defending champions in the championship match, after the Lions took care of business against Ansbach. Junior midfielder Victoria Hellebust and senior striker Selah Skariah did the scoring, with sophomore Emery Koger assisting.

Coach Christy Wise credited her team with bouncing back from Tuesday’s disappointing loss to Spangdahlem.

“The team was pretty disappointed with how we played against (Spangdahlem) and were determined to bring a better effort,” Wise said in an email. “I am happy with how they motivated and supported each other.”

Now, the two squads turn their attentions toward each other.

They have played against each other just once this season – a 4-1 Lion win Monday in round-robin action.

Wise said she anticipates a tough rematch in the Division III championship match Thursday at Ramstein High School. Kickoff is at 9 a.m.

“We are ready to put forth a big game to compete with (Sigonella) tomorrow,” Wise wrote. “They showed us how dangerous they are in all aspects of the game, and we’ll be sure to rise to the challenge.”

The Jaguars, meanwhile, have last year’s 2-0 loss in the final against AFNORTH on their minds. That’s especially true for Caro, who’s one of the few returning Sigonella players from last year.

“Last year definitely was a tough loss,” Caro said. “I believe we can avenge what happened last year and take back our third championship.”