AFNORTH’s Emery Koger dribbles toward the goal as Spangdahlem defender Lena Maassen chases 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. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
The 2025 season felt like déjà vu.
All three champions from the previous campaign – Ramstein in Division I, Naples in Division II and AFNORTH in Division III – repeated. And two of the three championship matchups were the same, as the Royals and Lions handled Stuttgart and Sigonella, respectively.
The only difference: The Wildcats handled Black Forest Academy instead of Vicenza, although the margin of victory (three) was the same.
Could 2026 be even more of the same? Opponents across all three divisions expect to close the gap, while some of the champions face the winds of change themselves.
All will be decided during the DODEA European soccer championships from May 18-21 in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown, based off coaches’ responses:
Following back-to-back Division III titles, interest in the soccer team has skyrocketed. This year alone, coach Christy Wise had 25 players come out for the team – nearly a third of the entire student population.
More important than the quantity of athletes is the quality.
AFNORTH has three 2025 All-European selections back. Midfielders Emery Koger and Victoria Hellebust made the first team, and Koger was named tournament MVP. Winger/striker Clara Pacios also was named second-team All-Europe.
Other returners include goalkeeper Avery Sweeney, midfielder/goalkeeper Isabell Trosper, defenders Ashlyn Garcia and Tomine Berg Bakkehaug, midfielders Léa Sheink and Nele Immel, winger/defender Carla Chico, winger/sweeper Celia Chico Luque and winger Laura Ferreira.
Of the 13 new players – Maria Normand, Imari Stacy, Madelyne Hatfield, Johanna Teichl, Marta Diaz, Adelaide Cazzani, Frederikke Brond, Mikayla Campbell, Olivia LaVere, Phoebe Braasch, Milena Przybielska, Rebekka Blix and Shayna Vergie – about half are freshmen and about half are new to the school.
Stephen Aldred takes over a program that is looking to build off a fifth-place finish last year.
Twelve Falcons return, starting with Silvia Goldman. The senior made the Division II all-tournament team.
Senior Laila Lester; juniors Rebecca Conchaud, Valentina Guida, Sarah Morales, Rose Orlich, Leah Renk and Rhiyanna Rispoli; and sophomores Anita Conchaud, Julia Gazulis, Carolina Poddighe and Isabella Santos are back.
New to the team are sophomores Juliette Heijnen and Hailey Carballo and freshmen Julia Briggs, Ellison Iitis, Sara Moretti and Eva Olivieri.
The wins did not show up in the past two seasons’ records for the Cougars, but coach Rene Lovallo has seen growth in her players.
She expressed her belief that the work will pay off this year on the soccer fields across Europe.
Ansbach has 12 veterans returning this spring. Senior captains Kennedy Lange, Victoria Ortiz and Connie Mundo lead the way. A pair of three-sport athletes, Lange and Ortiz earned all-tournament selections as goalkeeper and midfielder, respectively, while Mundo will line up in attack.
Fellow senior Emilia Tollefson and sophomore Sonora Tollefson add to the firepower up top. Seniors Madison Cobbett, Mya Henderson, Avery McDougall and Angela Bunow will anchor the backline.
A quartet of sophomores – Bailey Eickmeyer, Cloe Sutherland, Savannah Lindquist and Zoey Stubbs – give the team a strong base in midfield.
Two sophomores – forward Ellie Allen and midfielder Shareese Matthewson – and freshmen midfielders Lucy Parish, Nyah Sanchez-Rivera and Violet Richard could make an impact this season.
Four-year coach Sarah Hartman expressed optimism regarding her young squad as Aviano seeks to improve on its sixth-place finish in 2025.
The Saints have a few returners who will lead the way. Midfielder Ily Zamora scored one goal and assisted on another three, forward/midfielder Briley Trimble added six goal contributions (two goals and four assists) and forward Kiana Williams produced three goals and one assist last year.
Aviano also returns three defenders – Mary Barthold, Elena Young and Isabella Parker.
New to the team are Rylee Merboth, Frankie Hammond, Ana Zilinski, Valeria Salgado, Riana Pontemayor, Lana Seale, McKenna Baldwin, Sophia Darby, Delaney Garcia and Avery Haithcoat.
Coach Jack Wilson joked the Falcons’ goal during the regular season is not to get mercy ruled in any matches this season.
It’s an odd response regarding the Division II runner-up in 2025.
Yet BFA’s 2026 schedule is filled mostly with Division I schools. Those challenging matchups should prepare the Falcons for another deep tournament run.
Wilson and Co. can turn to a pair of midfielders to lead the way. Junior Esther Lee is coming off a first-team All-European season. She and senior Olivia Wilson also made the all-tournament team.
Other returners include a trio of defenders – senior Hannah Carey, junior Sierra Tweedy and sophomore Lily Cox – and junior midfielder Eva Darnell.
Juniors Lily Shkoza and Jana Jang will step up at striker, while senior Eden Miller takes the No. 1 jersey in net. Midfielder Hailey Cousens and defender Alia Lawrence bring senior leadership onto the roster.
Junior Priscilla Sivonen will move from the hardwood to a soccer field, playing as a defender. Junior Kiley Cousens and freshman Nava Boyd add depth to the midfield.
The Brigands have high hopes under new coach Timothy Nojaim.
Brussels brings back seven players from last year’s fourth-place team. That includes seniors Emilie Isaacson (striker/midfielder), Nino Kapanadze and Chrysoula Karakonstantis (striker) and Arianna Owens (defender).
Juniors Sonia Desir (defender) and Grace Swan (midfielder/defender) and sophomore Irelynn Harvey (midfielder) round out the veterans.
Sophomore Maci Carmack and freshman Mariam Buachidze are expected to share goalkeeping duties, and when not in net, they will play in defense. Junior Kenley Neal also could see time in the defensive third, while freshmen Gabriella Owens, Brigh Richard and Lily Sanford provide cover in midfield.
The Royals’ young squad is hoping to take a step forward after struggling in 2025.
The good news for second-year coach Phil Davis is the team has plenty of room to grow. Marymount doesn’t have a single senior on its roster and just five juniors. The remaining 17 players are underclassmen.
Davis said the size of the roster creates competition, which should push the Royals to improve even more.
Junior Feven Samson is the lone returning upperclassman. Seven sophomores – Zoya Ziskin, Olivia Ruiz, Madeline Cucchi, Solaia Tamas, Lucia Smith, Jamin Casaccia, Quynh Thu An Nguyen and Katia Chen – also picked up experience last year.
Mia De Santi, Simona Pan, Maria Pniejnia-Olsznska and Antonia Schnepf join the squad as juniors, as do sophomores Sophia Bilbeisi Martin and Tjitske Hes.
The rest – Sofia Kuzmina, Camille Judet, Dianca Di Leo, Zia Szantoi, Cecilia Brandolese, Ginevra Calamia and Margherita Baiani – are freshmen.
The Royals are under new management in Maribel and Richard Varela, but the outlook is still the same: winning the Division I title.
Still, the Varelas anticipate the 2026 campaign as a challenging one, especially as a such a successful team adjusts to a new coaching staff.
Ramstein has plenty of pieces from last year’s squad to make a run. Senior midfielder Isabelle Donkin earned second-team All-Europe honors and looks to pick up right where she left off.
Forwards Kylie Ascherl, Kayla Groat, Alejandra Munera and Ava Smith; midfielders Olivia Davis and Reese Monson; and defenders Kasia Gromadzki, Claire Larsen and Aviella Pope are back, too.
Forward Claire Coss transferred from crosstown rival Kaiserslautern. Other newcomers include Sarah Bouchard, Caydence Enger, Jayden Rico, Randi Salmon, Isabelle Smeltzer and Michelle and Elizabeth Wilson.
Coaches Chad and Rebecca Lucy are hopeful the foundations laid last year during the team’s fourth-place run will pay dividends this spring.
The Spartans will deploy a more aggressive, creative style of play to score more goals this campaign. Having experience in the back line and midfield gives them the stability to do so, the coaches said.
Junior Iveta Stefancinova is coming a season in which she was named to All-Europe’s first team. She will be moving to the wing full time after splitting time as an attacker and midfielder a year ago.
Center midfielder Georgia Green also made the all-tournament team, while center back Kira Muehlmann, fullback Konstantina Dailidou and Patricia Fernandez bring grit and determination.
Junior Olivia Penry moves to central defensive midfielder, and sophomore Alicia Pery adjusts to an attacking role in the center. Sophomore Haydeyn Green also will occupy a new space this season.
Sophomores Virginia Comple and Evelina Vindis bolster the central midfield, with Comple playing a more defensive role. Sophomore Victoria Del Pozo and junior Irene Monge will play fullback and center back, respectively, and freshmen Aimee Fitzgerald and Amirah Mullenix could get some time as well.
The Cougars fell short last spring with a third-place finish.
Coach Philip Paniagua’s squad will be tough again this year, with some additions filling in the void left by three All-European players. The roster also doesn’t have a single senior.
Junior Natalia Lopez and sophomore Jenina Smith step in as strikers to lead the group of returners. Other veterans are juniors Gabriella Zollman, Allie Torgesen, Emily Vallejo-Rodriguez and Seren Sparling and sophomores Gracie Perry, Lexie Pollard, Selma Morgan and Yamitlernys Silva-Vasquez.
Newcomers Abigail Wells and Ranya Boubetana, both freshman, and Ryleigh Timberlake, a sophomore, enter the starting lineup this campaign. Others joining the Cougars are sophomores Emily Bell and Sarah Santos and freshmen Alessandra Macy and Audrey Herrera.
.jpg/alternates/SQUARE_100/Wagner%20headshot%20002.jpg)
