Alconbury boys score early, then hold on for Division IV soccer title

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Alconbury unleashed just enough offense and way too much defense Friday to down Sigonella 1-0 in the DODDS-Europe Division IV boys soccer championship game.

"I knew I’d have to try my best to shut them out," Alconbury All-Europe keeper David Blose said after winning his duel against Sigonella’s Conor Quinn, the other All-Europe keeper for 2008. "After we got the score, we became more defensive-minded."

The goal came 5 minutes into the game when Jimmy Luong rounded up a cross from freshman Peter Rydznyski that deflected off the Sigonella sweeper’s head to the left side of the box. Luong then turned back upfield and shot past Quinn as he crossed in front of the goal mouth.

"I just had to find some space to shoot," Luong said.

Alconbury dropped Luong back most of the rest of the game to assist the back line, anchored by sweeper and tournament MVP Yul McGrath.

"Basically, we were trying to keep the line steady and not let anything get over our heads," McGrath said. "We had to win all the air-balls, because we knew their keeper had a strong leg."

McGrath said Luong was chosen to help with the defense because of his speed.

"We needed his speed to help us when they angled across to the left or right," McGrath said. "We could cover the middle, but he’d run them down when they took the ball wide."

McGrath made no apologies for playing defense first. "We were willing to do whatever it took to win," he said.

Even when he had to start from the back, Luong, usually teaming with equally fast forward Greg Pettiway on two-man rushes, aided the defense by making attacks that had Sigonella scrambling. Luong came up just short on a try at flicking the ball over the head of the oncoming Quinn when the ball bounced just a bit too far in front of his toe as he entered the penalty area.

"I had to overstretch on that one," Luong said. "We didn’t try anything different against him (Quinn). We had some good shots on him."

Blose was pressured most after intermission, at one point hanging onto a goal-mouth save as he was taken down by a Sigonella attacker. He ended the game with a diving save among the feet of a half-dozen players as the Jaguars frantically drove for the equalizer.

"He always gives us a chance," McGrath said of Blose, a junior. "He plays [Olympic Development Program] and English soccer. Soccer is his life."