Air Force women repeat as soccer champions

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ty Reyes
  • Air Force Services Agency
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  The Air Force repeated as the armed forces women's soccer champions at the 2006 championship tournament hosted by Naval Station Mayport, Fla., May 2 to 8.

The first game of the tournament pitted the Air Force against the Army.  Army came out aggressively against the defending champs. In the first half, both teams had many opportunities but neither scored. Ten minutes into the second half, Air Force had a free kick about 25 feet from the goal. 

Marci Freund, a second lieutenant from Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas, passed the ball toward the middle of the field to Wendy Emminger, a first lieutenant from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. Emminger took a shot over the goalkeeper and just under the goal crossbar to put Air Force up 1-0. 

The Air Force coaches, Jeremy Selph, a staff sergeant from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, and Michiel Perrault,  a staff sergeant from Dover AFB, Del., said the team accomplished that play just like they practiced it -- "perfect."

Army continued to pressure, but could not finish due to the Air Force's defense by Nicole Burnside and Christine Miller, both first lieutenants from Hurlburt Field, Fla., and Lucero Stockett, a staff sergeant from Travis AFB. The final score was Air Force 1-0 over Army. 

In game two, Air Force played Navy, who had taken a 9-0 loss the day before against Army.

Both teams started out slow but after about 15 minutes the Air Force was taking good shots outside the goal box. About 25 minutes into the game Elaine Tatarek, a second lieutenant from Patrick AFB, Fla., scored the first goal. Ten minutes later Amy Zwiers, a first lieutenant from Pope AFB, N.C., scored the second and final goal of the half.

Navy came out energetically in the second half but could not faze the defending champs. Air Force had three goals in 20 minutes scored by Emminger, Zwiers and Elizabeth Welliver, a first lieutenant from Yokota Air Base, Japan. The final score was 5-0. 

Game three, Air Force vs. Army, was the biggest game of the tournament since the Air Force gave the Army its only loss. Air Force would secure the gold with a win or a tie.

Army had a few great shots on goal but Jennifer Wolf, a second lieutenant from Corpus Christi NAS, was not letting anything by her. Air Force had opportunities as well, but the Army keeper was also on every shot. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. 

In the final game against Navy, all Air Force wanted was to finish strong with a win. The day started out with nice weather but at game time it was raining hard. 

The weather did not faze the Air Force team. The first goal was from a corner kick headed in by Amber Reynolds, a first lieutenant from Ramstein AB, Germany. Just before the halftime whistle Stockett noticed the goalkeeper was far from the goal and hit a deep shot, from about 40 yards out, putting Air Force up 2-0.

In the second half Navy got too aggressive and ended up losing a player to ejection. Air Force took advantage of the opportunity and ended up getting two goals in the final minutes, one by Zwiers and one by Welliver, ending the game with a 4-0 win and a record of 3-0-1. 

Six players were selected to the all-tournament team: Wolf, Miller, Burnside, Welliver, Emminger and Tatarek.

The all-tournament team will compete as the U.S. Armed Forces women's soccer team at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire international military soccer championship in Zoutkamp, Netherlands. Joining them on the armed forces team will be Reynolds, Freund, Leigh-Anne Fitzgerald, a second lieutenant from Lackland AFB, Texas, and Coach Selph.