Ramstein striker Claire Boynton dribbles toward net during a May 3, 2025, match against Stuttgart at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

When Ramstein’s Claire Boynton stepped onto the field in 2024, nobody knew who she was, having just moved to Germany.

She took advantage of it, terrorizing DODEA European opposition to help the Royals run roughshod to the Division I crown.

The senior striker didn’t anticipate having free rein on field this spring, however.

“This year, walking in, I knew that I was going to have a target on my back,” Boynton said. “So, I focused less on my individual performance and more on being that supporting role for my teammates.”

That approach worked for the Royals, who went undefeated and successfully defended their big-schools’ championship with a 3-1 victory in their fourth-straight finals installment against Stuttgart on May 22 at Ramstein High School.

Boynton was an integral component of the Ramstein machine, and her performances earned her Stars and Stripes’ European girls soccer Athlete of the Year.

The San Antonio native became more than the heartbeat of the attack – she stepped into a similar role for the squad. First-year head coach Frances Watson and her staff handed Boynton one of the captains’ armbands.

Boynton said she grew into the role on a team that had plenty of firepower up top but needed to get an entirely new backline up to speed. She advocated for her teammates with referees and referenced the motto “minor setback, major comeback” any time Ramstein struggled in matches.

“It was a really big honor that my team trusted me enough to take on that role, and I am so grateful for the experience,” Boynton said. “I wanted to be that kind of person that my freshman-year self would have wanted, my sophomore-year self would have wanted as a captain. I feel like I executed that role.”

Included in that role was leading the attack, but that didn’t mean scoring herself, necessarily.

In 2024, Boynton said she knew what to do exactly when she received the ball, and that generally involved her dribbling toward the goal or shooting.

This spring, she talked to her parents, Kara and Christopher, and decided the best course of action often was to act as a decoy, opening space for teammates such as Ava Smith and Audrey Singer.

Boynton had a great example of how to play that way from her time in Texas before moving to Europe. She and her father went to multiple San Antonio FC matches, and she watched one player in particular – Cristian Parano. The Argentine winger created numerous goal-scoring opportunities either for himself or his teammates.

As a team, the Royals scored 58 goals over 12 matches, including 18 over their four tournament contests.

“After talking with my parents a little bit, I felt like the best way I could contribute to the team moving forward was by helping my teammates, whether that was trying to draw defenders out by moving out of the space and letting someone else run in or having assists,” Boynton said.

Ramstein didn’t run all over teams in the knockout stages, though.

In both the semifinal and final against Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart, respectively, the Royals found themselves trailing early.

Against the Raiders, an own goal 13 minutes into the match put the Royals on the back foot. Ramstein recovered by scoring five of the next six goals to win 5-2.

Then, in the final, Panther forward Sienna Ingle hammered home a cross to give them the lead. Ramstein came back once again, starting with Boynton’s equalizer and completing it through Smith goals.

“Especially going through the season without having really any struggles against most teams, going down a goal like we did in both matches, it’s really hard,” Boynton said. “But I’m very glad that’s how it happened because I think that’s what motivated us, push us to keep going and keep playing, and obviously both ended up as wins.”

Those wins could be the last time Boynton plays competitive soccer.

She said she wanted to play the sport collegiately but ultimately decided to focus on her academics. She will attend the University of North Dakota to study engineering.

Still, Boynton said she will find a way back on the field in some capacity.

“I’m probably going to play club soccer at my college next year,” Boynton said. “So, that will be something fun for me.”