New-look Royals look a lot like the old-look Royals

Lakenheath goalkeeper Matt Vasquez saves a Ramstein shot during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – The Ramstein boys and girls soccer teams experienced big-time turnover after winning back-to-back DODEA-Europe Division I championships.

Yet two matches into the 2026 campaign, it’s more of the same for the Royals.

Both squads improved to 2-0 this spring with a sweep over the Lakenheath Lancers on Saturday at Ramstein High School. The boys got the job done with a 3-0 victory in the morning, while the girls pulled away for a 6-0 victory in the afternoon.

Not only did the roster change for the girls, but new coaches took over the program. Alec Rodriguez is now at the helm and has turned to captains Isabelle Donkin and Ava Smith, as well as returners like Kayla Groat, to lead the way.

“I’m getting to know the girls; they’re getting to know me and the rest of the coaching staff,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s really just a trust thing. For the returning girls, I lean heavily on them to say, ‘These are the standards that made you successful last year.’”

The boys have some continuity, beginning with longtime coach Dominik Ludes and his protégé Reagan Etherton.

And while the roster had a nearly complete revamp, 15 of the 20 Royals were on JV last year, giving them some experience in the system.

“Coming back this year, and they look like different people,” Etherton said. “They’re so much better technically, and the pace of play, stepping up to the varsity level.

“It’s really exciting to see a young core like that also can back it up with some talent.”

Ramstein's Kayla Groat leaps to head a corner over Lakenheath's Sydney DuPont, center, during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath's Leila Olmos shoots from distance ahead of Ramstein's Aviella Pope during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein goalkeeper Elizabeth Wilson boots the ball downfield during a match against Lakenheath on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The Royals weren’t pleased with their performance in their close season-opening win over Vilseck on March 14.

Rodriguez said that motivated his players Saturday against the Lancers (0-2, 0-2). Ramstein took the lead with a fifth-minute goal by Groat, who poked a ball that bounced off the hands of Lakenheath goalkeeper Rylee Bond into the roof the net.

“That was kind of a wake-up call, ‘Hey, we got to start a different way,’” Rodriguez said. “It started with training, and today, I think it really showed.”

The star of Saturday’s show was Olivia Davis.

The midfielder dropped four goals. Two of them from the edge of the box (31st and 80th minutes), she buried a penalty (43rd minute) and controlled a through ball from Alejandra Munera before firing home (78th minute) for the other two.

Davis called the last one her favorite of the day, as she took a touch at the top of the box before firing with her left foot.

“That’s kind of what I was messing up on all the other shots – not shooting quick enough,” she said. “For the last play of the game, I love going out with a goal.”

Although Ramstein pulled away in the second, Lakenheath coach Andrew Smith explained his team can take plenty of positives into spring break.

After going down 4-0 when Smith dribbled along the left wing and fired past Bond in the 49th minute, the Lancers produced six shots on goal.

“The girls came away from this game feeling really good about themselves,” Smith said. “The things that we’ve tried in practice, they implemented. We changed formation; they slipped right into it.

“Yes, the game got away from us at the end, but that happens.”

Ramstein’s Edward Francis heads a corner behind Lakenheath captain Jordan Chacon del Bosque during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein captain Kai Woodstock shoots ahead of Lakenheath's Jonas Burkett, left, and Talen Franscisco during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein's Antoni Edwards dribbles against Lakenheath's Chris Cabera during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath's Kimben Mallorca holds off a challenge from Ramstein's Connor Mack during a match on March 21, 2026, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

For most of Saturday’s win, the Royals huffed and puffed with 17 shots on goal, only for the wall constructed by Lakenheath’s defense and goalkeeper Matt Vasquez to stand tall.

Eventually, though, Ramstein found the holes with goals by captain Kai Woodstock, Alexander Drybola and Logan Robosky in the 33rd, 66th and 77th minutes, respectively.

Instead of getting frustrated by the Lancers’ defensive effort, Woodstock credited his teammates’ mental strength to keep plugging away.

“It’s a ‘So what? Now what?’ mindset that we have,” Woodstock said. “If we miss one, we go to the next.”

Both Woodstock and his coach highlighted how the team must improve its offensive efficiency.

Etherton mentioned the Royals created chances, but now they must improve their shooting.

Drybola’s goal from distance after Vasquez charged off his line to block a Woodstock shot at the edge of the box and Robosky’s right-footed connection off a cross by Troy Watson were steps in the right direction.

“You’re doing everything right to set it up, and then you just have to work on the finishing,” Etherton said. “I think that will come as the season goes on.

“It’s refreshing to at least see the opportunity first and then see what we can do.”

Lakenheath captain James Idems said his team played well defensively, especially in the first half when it held the Royals to four shots.

The next step for the Lancers is to get something going on the opposite end of the field, where they got off just one shot on target late in the match.

“Coming from the wings, we were able to lock that down and centrally, just not allowing them to get that easy tap-in and score,” Idems said. “But we just didn’t manage to those attacking opportunities more that we really wanted to get.”