AFNORTH junior Emery Koger watches her shot go into the net in the final minute of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. Koger recorded two goals in the 8-1 victory. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Judging by the matchup just a day earlier, Thursday’s DODEA-Europe Division III championship game was expected to be a tight battle.
AFNORTH defied expectations.
The Lions won their third straight title Thursday with an 8-1 victory over Spangdahlem.
It was readily apparent that the girls were intimately familiar with each other during the opening 10 minutes of the third meeting of the two teams this season with neither team conceding much on the pitch.
The Lions and Sentinels tied 2-2 in the second week of the regular season, and AFNORTH squeezed out a 2-1 win Wednesday in the tournament’s final round robin game.
The Lions may have had a few tricks up their sleeves, though. Head coach Christy Wise said the team had a meeting Wednesday night to discuss a new game plan the girls hadn’t previously implemented.
Wise said some of her previous squads would’ve spiraled out if she changed things up the night before a championship game, but these Lions were all for it heading into Thursday.
“They always have such a positive attitude, like, ‘sure, I’ll try it,’” Wise said. “The confidence and the trust that they have placed in me and each other is so rare with this group of girls.”
AFNORTH senior Clara Pacios shoots on goal against Spangdahlem during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. Pacios scored two goals in AFNORTH’s 8-1 championship win. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH freshman Mikayla Campbell dribbles past Spangdahlem's Mykayla Figueroa and Makayla Atkins during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Sentinel midfielder Kylie McVey prepares for a cross during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships against AFNORTH at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Spangdahlem senior Lexi Lauer dribbles downfield against AFNORTH senior Clara Pacios during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. Lauer scored her team’s only goal in its 8-1 loss. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH freshman Johanna Teichl prepares to pass the ball around Spangdahlem's Mykayla Figueroa during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. Teichl scored the first goal of the game. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Spangdahlem senior Aniya Robinson dribbles the ball downfield during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Spangdahlem's Yelena Dungca and AFNORTH's Carla Chico run for control of the ball during the final game of the 2026 Division III DODEA European soccer championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 21, 2026. AFNORTH won 8-1, clenching their third consecutive title. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Freshman Johanna Teichl opened up AFNORTH’s scoring spree around the 12th minute, and expert ball control from senior Clara Pacios led to another strike in the 21st minute, as she expertly navigated a gritty Spangdahlem defense.
Junior Emery Koger said she and her teammates needed some time to adjust and get things going in the first half.
“We were all nervous,” Koger said. “It took a little bit to settle into the game, but once we did, it was a fun game to play.”
Heading into halftime with a two-point lead built confidence, but AFNORTH knew high pressure would come from Spangdahlem’s front line going into the second half.
The sentiment proved prophetic as Spangdahlem seniors Lexi Lauer, Aniya Robinson, and Kylie McVey pushed the pace with aggressive attacks on the net.
Lauer had a handful of decisive strikes and near misses that could have given the Sentinels a fighting chance if not for exceptional goalkeeping from AFNORTH senior Avery Sweeney,
Lauer did manage to sink a ball in the 53rd minute, but by that point, AFNORTH had already started running away with the game.
The Lions anticipated the Sentinels second half push and with patience were able to exploit the midfield and back line on counter attacks in what was an almost surgical dissection of Spangdahlem’s defense.
Goals from Marta Diaz Hernandez (42 minutes), Celia Chico (46’), Pacios (58’), Mikayla Campbell (69’), and Koger (72’, 80’) seemed nearly effortless.
“The defense kind of lost it after the first 10 to 15 minutes,” Spangdahlem coach Josia Onyango said of his team’s tough loss. “They are a good defense team — as a sportsman you have those days that you just lose it, and you don’t know why.”
