Rome private schools will renew rivalry in season finale

Marymount right midfielder Sattam Faisal collides with Rota goalkeeper Zachary Van Slyke, right, and defender Wyatt Beal during a Division II semifinal match of the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

REICHENBACH-STEEGEN, Germany – In the first extra-time period of a Division II semifinal between Marymount and Rota on Wednesday afternoon, everyone came to a stop.

Only one player on the field seemed to know the play wasn’t whistled dead: Royal Federico Pipitone.

The senior striker continued to play and eventually he scored the match-winning goal in Marymount’s 3-2 victory over the Admirals.

Marymount girls coach Phil Davis was on the touchline for the Royal boys at the VfB Reichenbach because Kris McAdam was serving a suspension. He praised Pipitone for not quitting on the play.

“I had said just to keep on going,” Phil Davis said. “There’s no offsides. The whistle didn’t blow. You just keep on going, and that’s how he got that goal.

“That was fantastic.”

Fantastic also could describe the Royals’ recovery from a major setback early in the match.

Watching from outside the field area, McAdam said the team had its worst start to a match this season. Yet Marymount (8-2) still had a lead thanks to a Sebastian Furstenberg Fassio penalty kick in the 13th minute.

Disaster struck in the 20th minute when Marymount had Giovanni Merico sent off for a red-card offense. That meant the Royals had to play 70 minutes of the match down a man.

And they managed to force the overtime period thanks to another Furstenberg Fassio penalty kick late in the match.

“To go down to 10 men after a very short period of time and to play the entire match plus the first half of the silver goal with 10 men and come out victorious is incredible in terms of their resilience and grit,” McAdam said.

Rota trailed 1-0 at halftime, but the Admirals (3-5-3) came out for the second half swinging. They equalized in the 45th minute via Maddux Johnson, and then fellow sophomore forward Gabe Parker pulled a near bicycle kick off a corner to take the lead in 50th minute.

Coach Braddock McFarland said his players came into the match feeling loose, and even before the red card, the Admirals were holding their own.

“I told my kids we didn’t have any pressure on us, no one thinks we’re going to win this game,” McFarland said. “They played an amazing game.”

It wasn’t enough to get past the Royals.

Marymount sophomore Niccolo Bigi looks into the box to find a teammate while Rota defenders Jaden Viloria Mesa, left, and Alex Madmon chase during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Marymount center back Simone Clemente clears the ball as Rota forward Gabe Parker chases during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Rota forward Maddux Johnson holds off Marymount defensive midfielder Pedro Braz Martins during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

American Overseas School of Rome and Naples were used to seeing each other at the finals of the European championships, squaring off for the last three.

Yet on Wednesday, the two were meeting in the semifinals, and the Falcons managed to avenge the losses in the last two with a 6-0 victory.

“It kind of destroyed us, but it made us want to do more,” AOSR captain Cosmo Gulino said. “It made us want to do more, played like we usually do.

“Naples obviously is a hard team, but we controlled our heads and we made it.”

The match was close heading into halftime, with the Falcons’ lone goal coming via a Pierpaolo Graziano penalty.

In the second half, AOSR (12-0) exploded. Gulino explained that Naples wasn’t pressing them much defensively, so the Falcons tried to play more long balls.

That led to a brace from Leone Maggie and goals from Federico Ghione, Tito Segni and Gulino.

“The first half, we were a bit contracted, which was normal, given the history of this game,” AOSR coach Giacomo Castelli said. “Once we moved the ball with more quality, more rhythm, more speed, we were able to create those overloads.”

With the wins, AOSR and Marymount will meet for the championship. It could be decided based on which team can impose its will on the other.

“We never lose our nature and our common language, our identity,” Castelli said. “We try to play the way we play regardless of whom we play against.”

McAdam raved about his players’ skills, and he said the team should have a great chance to win as long as the Royals stay focused and composed.

“Given their ability, given their physicality, given their speed, creativity – all of those attributes you need to be an excellent team, they have all of that, and on their day, they’ll beat any team,” McAdam said.

Naples defensive midfielder Harold Rice fouls American Overseas School of Rome wing back Meng Peng Jiang in the 18-yard box as Wildcat center backs Terry Herbert, left, and Landon Heavrin converge on the ball during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Naples left back Nathan Mellor and American Overseas School of Rome winger Luca Zuccolotto fight for a ball in the air during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

American Overseas School of Rome winger Federico Ghione outruns Naples freshman Lucas Mellor to the ball during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Naples central midfielder Bober Milosz tackles the ball away from American Overseas School of Rome midfielder Tito Segni during a Division II semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European soccer championships on May 20, 2026, at VfB Reichenbach in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)