Wiesbaden junior Meghan Smith drives to the goal as Bitburg sophomore keeper Isabella Madamba positions herself for the save. The host Wiesbaden girls squad blanked Bitburg on Saturday, 4-0. (Mark Patton/Stars and Stripes)
MAINZ-KASTEL, Germany — Wiesbaden’s soccer squads finished off their regular seasons with some momentum heading into the DODDS-Europe championships by blanking Bitburg on Saturday in front of a home crowd at KFV Stadion.
The Wiesbaden girls rode a pair of goals by senior Andrea Arnold to earn a 4-0 victory over the visitors.
In the first half, Wiesbaden was able to funnel the ball into the middle of the field creating plenty of one-on-one situations that kept Bitburg sophomore keeper Isabella Madamba busy.
Junior Meghan Smith kept the pressure on Bitburg early as she constantly found herself in the open, but she was unable to find the net in the early minutes. At the 25 minute mark, Arnold broke through as she was able to convert on a golden opportunity. The shot gave Wiesbaden a 1-0 lead, a score that would hold true through the first half.
“I just stood there and I was so scared,” said Arnold about the goal. “I always miss those, I usually overanalyze.”
Bitburg coach Lin Hairstone urged his club at halftime to be more aggressive and go for the ball.
“This game isn’t out of reach, but you’ve got to put one in,” Hairstone told his team.
While the Barons amped up their aggressiveness in the second half, the technical prowess of the Warriors proved too much as Arnold scored her second goal early in the second half. Smith and senior Emily Dill added the final two goals for Wiesbaden, putting the game out of reach.
Arnold said the victory helps her team’s mindset going into the tournament, slated for May 21-24.
She said scoring a pair of goals in her final home game and attending prom later in the day made things extra sweet.
“It’s a dream day,” an emotional Arnold said as she fought back tears.
The Wiesbaden boys team was looking for its first win in the region and it brought plenty of firepower to achieve it Saturday, as they cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Barons in a physical contest.
In the end, Wiesbaden was able to exploit its advantage in speed and once the goals started, the Warriors never took their foot off the gas pedal.
Wiesbaden sophomore John Arnold started things off with a free kick 14 minutes in that caught Bitburg sophomore keeper Kelton Dobbs off guard. Arnold later added another goal, equaling his sister’s two-goal effort from earlier in the day.
Junior Dawayne Blake also added a pair of scores for the Warriors and senior speedster Ryan Fisico added a pair, thanks in part to a Bitburg own goal. Junior Deon Davis added the other score for the Warriors.
Fisico said winning his last match at home “feels good,” adding that he’ll miss high school soccer, especially the team aspect of the sport.
The Warriors said they feel that they can hang with the big boys come tournament time.
“I think we have a pretty good chance,” Blake said.