Alconbury's Jason Sanders defends against Brussels player Aljaz Urbanc during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Urbanc earned the only goal in the 1-0 Brussels victory. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Jason Sanders defends against Brussels player Aljaz Urbanc during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Urbanc earned the only goal in the 1-0 Brussels victory. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Brussels forward Noah Gray looks to score against Alconbury goalkeeper Dee Wilson during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Gray was caught offsides more than any other player. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Dee Wilson defends the goal against Brussels during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Wilson had 15 saves in the 1-0 loss against the Brigands (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Brussels' Bocar Toure races Alconbury's Ethan Shropshire to the ball during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Brussels remains undefeated after the 1-0 victory over the Dragons. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Brussels' Shahzod Niyazov uses fancy footwork against Alconbury's Nicholas Lee during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Brussels beat the Dragons 1-0. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Ruby Mora defends against Brussels' Olivia Friedhoff during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. The Dragons won 3-2 against the Brigands. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Allison Diamond tries to defend against Brigands Carmen Beckley, right, and Hayden Sink during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. The Dragons won 3-2 against the Brigands. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Brussels' Savannah Vitale shoots on Alconbury's goal during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Vitale earned a goal for the Brigands within the first minute of the game. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Brussels' Julianna Friedhoff kicks a penalty shot against the Dragons during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. The match ended with a 3-2 Alconbury victory. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Laela Evans shoots on the Brussels goal during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Evans scored two goals in her team's win against the Brigands. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
Brussels' Juliette Mobley chases Alconbury's Isabel Black towards the Brigands' goal during a soccer game at RAF Alconbury, England, Saturday, March 24, 2018. Black outran several Brussels defenders over the course of her team's 3-2 victory. (William Howard/Stars and Stripes)
RAF ALCONBURY, England — While the Brussels girls gave Alconbury its first win of the season Saturday, the Brigands’ boys squad remains undefeated after its match against the Dragons.
GirlsLaela Evans scored twice and the Dragons broke a tie for a 3-2 victory over Brussels.
Brigands forward Savannah Vitale scored within the first minute of the game after lofting the ball over the Alconbury goalkeeper’s head.
The Dragons responded by taking the lead in the first half with goals by Evans and Victoria Flores. Evans earned her first goal from continuous corner kicks and Flores kicked a fast grounder through a seam in the defense.
Alconbury forward Isabel Black also had several shots on goal while outrunning the Brigands defense. The Dragons had a total of 14 shots and about half of them were decent chances.
Sofia Beckley scored the first goal of the second half for Brussels and brought the game to a tenuous tie.
Evans continued to control midfield and scored again with the game-winner.
“Give Brussels credit, they played a heck of a game. They have some strong players, a great coach and a good strategy,” Alconbury coach Jeffrey Black said. “We made some adjustments after about the first five minutes to give us an advantage. Our speed and athleticism created some chances for us.”
BoysThe Dragons only fielded 10 players against the defending Division III DODEA champions and somehow held Brussels to a single goal. But it stood up in a 1-0 Brussels triumph.
The Brigands looked calm and collected while controlling the ball and shooting shot after shot against Alconbury’s goalkeeper Dee Wilson.
Wilson was the busiest man on the field with 15 saves - leaping above Brigands and diving at their feet to secure the ball.
“What our game plan was from the beginning was to make the goalkeeper work for every point he kept us from getting,” Brussels coach Ronnie Percy said.
Brussels hopes to repeat the championship this year.
“We go into every game thinking that we’re the DODEA Division III champions and that’s what we’re working towards,” Percy said.
Twitter: @Howard_Stripes
