Photo By Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin | Les Wilson, the Langley Air Force Base Soccer team midfielder and striker wearing...... read more read more
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LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — The Joint Base Langley-Eustis soccer club, nicknamed the “Langley Raptors,” ended their Spring season after a 3-0 loss in the 3D league semifinals against the Action FC Soccer Club at Yorktown, Va., May 19.
The Raptors is an all-military, JBLE-affiliated soccer team, coached by retired service members. The team plays in primarily civilian soccer leagues as the only purely military team.
The Raptors held Action FC to a scoreless game until the second half, when they allowed three goals toward the end of the game.
Action FC and the Raptors faced-off previously during the regular season. Action FC also won that game, but Sergio Andrade, a defender for the Raptors, said his team has made great strides since then.
“Most players on the team are new, so this was a rebuilding season,” said Andrade. “We only had six weeks, but we came together as a team in that short amount of time.”
Though losing is hard for any team, Andrade feels the team gave it their all.
“It was an eye opening experience for them,” said Andrade when recalling how the team held their own against their semifinalist opponents. “They were expecting something different from us, and we surprised them.”
The Raptors earned their place in play-off semifinals after a 3-2 victory against the Indies United Soccer Club during the quarter-finals game, May 13.
During the quarter-finals game, the Raptors held the 1-0 lead for the first 15 minutes of game. Shortly after, the opposition scored a goal, tying the score. By the second half, the Raptors trailed 1-2. After halftime, the team rallied, and went on to fight for a 3-2 comeback win.
The team clinched a spot in the play-offs the previous day after beating the Wyld Stallyns in a 22-0 blowout victory which ended their regular season in fourth place.
“We want to compare ourselves against different teams,” said J.R. Richardson, the team’s head coach. “Once we find out where we are as a team, we can decide where all the pieces go.”
The team uses the league to hone their skills in preparation for the annual Defender’s Cup Soccer Tournament, an all-military soccer tournament hosted in San Antonio, Texas. The tournament takes place every September, and draws instillation soccer teams from all over the country to play for the prestigious Defender’s Cup.
“All of this work is to get us ready for the Defender’s Cup,” said Richardson. “We want to bring pride to Langley.”
Last year the Raptors took fourth place in the tournament, but Richardson said they have great ambitions for this coming September.
“We played well last tournament and placed fourth,” he said. “We plan on improving this year,” Richardson is a retired Air Force member who played for the Air Force’s soccer team during his time in service. He has been coaching the team since 2009.
Andrade says that he and his teammates have great respect for the coaching staff.
“The coaches emphasized the fact that we are not only a team, but a family,” said Andrade. “That says a lot about the coaches and their leadership.”
The team is constantly looking to improve, and bring in new talent. The team will be holding tryouts shortly after the intramural soccer season. The tryouts usually last three days, and will test players on their abilities and possible contribution to the team.
“With all of the talent here, we can put together a great team,” said Richardson.
The team plans to enter a tournament in Virginia Beach shortly after the summer tryouts to gauge how prepared they are for the Defender’s Cup Tournament. The Virginia Beach tournament will pit the Raptors against other local teams, including some professional players.
“Playing with the team gives you a sense of camaraderie and teamwork, and it’s a great way to meet people you never would have met before,” said Andrade, adding another aspect he finds beneficial. “It’s a fun way to blow off steam.”
Andrade encourages all service members to join a team, regardless of the sport.
“Being in the military is more than just doing your job,” he said. “You can take things you learn on the field to your career, and even to a deployed environment.”
Now that the spring season is over, the Raptors will continue to strive for the Defender’s Cup, and the pride that comes with it.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2012 10:37 |
| Story ID: | 88877 |
| Location: | LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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