The Intelligence Corps Football Club from the United Kingdom defeated the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Warhawks men’s varsity soccer team, 2-1, in a friendly exhibition matchup Sept. 16, 2015, at the South Texas Area Regional Soccer Complex in San Antonio, Texas.
The ICFC visited Texas for a week to compete in exhibition matchups against the Warhawks, Medina Annex and Fort Hood men’s varsity soccer teams in preparation for their regular season.
ICFC Center/forward Cpl. Nick Foster, 2 Military Intelligence Battalion intelligence analyst, and Maj. Aaron Coppald, 4th Military Intelligence Battalion counter intelligence operator, each chipped in a goal in the first and second half respectively.
The ICFC made crisp passes and aggressively pushed the ball to maintain possession and score points. Warhawks remained scoreless until the middle of the second half when forward Andrae Blake, 59th Dental Training Squadron dental technician, scored an open centerline goal to tie the game.
Coppald’s descending goal off the net occurred late in the second half to clinch the team’s victory.
“We were a little nervous after Blake scored, but we composed ourselves and knew we had another goal in us,” Coppald said.
Warhawks midfielder Airman 1st Class Jonathan Lopez, 502nd Force Support Group Judge Advocate paralegal, was complimentary of the ICFC’s teamwork.
“Their vision, touch and creativity were on point,” he said.
“Their chemistry is tight because they have been playing together awhile so everyone knows where they are positioned,” added Warhawks coach Nana Saahene, Air Force Post Graduate Dental School Prosthodontics Flight chief.
Coppald reciprocated the praise.
“The Warhawks have excellent work rate and pressed the ball really well,” he said.
Lopez feels the team’s performance against an experienced international club was a morale booster.
“We played real well and finished strong,” he said. “Our play gave us a sense of accomplishment. The passion for the game kept us playing hard.”