Aviano hosts and wins soccer championship

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katherine Windish
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  The Aviano Dragons claimed the 2010 U.S. Armed Forces Europe Soccer Championship title Oct. 24, defeating the RAF Lakenheath Eagles 2-1 in the championship game.

The four-day tournament, hosted by the 31st Force Support Squadron welcomed 14 teams from military installations throughout Europe. There were 24 games in all, culminating in a final game between the Eagles and the Dragons.

"We lost 12 starters from last year and it was a completely new team that I coached this year," said Justin Foulsham, Aviano coach. "But everybody bought in quickly and we bonded. We fought hard as a team."

After three days of elimination rounds, the two final teams were evenly matched, making for a close, edge-of-your-seat game Sunday.

Heading to the final game, the Dragons were undefeated throughout the tournament, allowing only one goal past their defense, scored by Lakenheath's Brian Liston-Clark in the second half of the championship game. The team came back from the tied score with a winning goal scored in the final half by Aviano forward, Luke Mornini.

In addition to winning the tournament, four Aviano players earned positions on the all-star tournament team: Ernesto Lozano, Kyle Nowicki, Patrick Wilsey and Mornini. Airman Mornini was also recognized as the most valuable player of the tournament. The awards were a great success, especially for a team so new to working together, according to the coach.