Dyess FC participates in Defender’s Cup

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Damon Kasberg
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Airmen from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas participate in the Air Force Defender's Cup in San Antonio during the Labor Day weekend.

During the first day of the tournament, teams were placed into groups of four and played each other to see where they would be placed in the tournament's bracket.

Team Dyess went undefeated during the group portion of the tournament, beating Team Hill, Columbus and Medina. This placed them No. 1 in their group and fifth overall in the 22-team tournament.

"I've been a part of the Dyess soccer team for many years and we had never won our group," said William Madden, Dyess winger. "We either won one and lost the other two or lost one, won one and tied one. We never went undefeated in the groups like this."

Having the top seed in their group gave Dyess a first-round bye on the second day of the tournament where they faced Luke AFB, Ariz.

During the first half of the game, Dyess held a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Dyess forward Gerald Hodges. Luke would answer Dyess' goal in the second half, and while Dyess had many opportunities to score, they were never able to finish.

Regulation ended with the game tied. This led to penalty kicks, five players from each team would shoot on goal to see who would move on. After three shots from each team, Dyess had 1 point, while Luke had 3. Luke's goalie would stop the next shot on goal, ending Dyess' run in the tournament.

Even though Dyess took a tough loss, they had a lot to be proud of and look forward to next year.

"I've never been more proud of being a part of a team in my life," said Dyess coach Robert Marshal. "I've coached and played many teams, but being a part of FC Dyess these past few months has been some of the most fulfilling in my 25 years of soccer. I think this is a starting point for FC Dyess. There is real talent here, and there's no reason we can't compete for the title next year as long as we keep improving."