Email   Print   Share By Staff Sgt. Julius Clayton, 14th PAD

Facebook Digg Delicious June 21, 2012 | Sports

Eduardo Cabrera, Soccer Player United, keeps the ball from Gillean Huffman, 69th ADA, during the semifinals June 11. Soccer Player United went on to defeat 4th Sust. Bde. in the finals. Dawn Pandoliano, Sentinel Design Editor

Two Fort Hood units battled it out for Fort Hood’s intramural soccer championship at the soccer field behind the Warrior Way Exchange June 12.

Soccer Player United defeated the 4th Sustainment Brigade by scores of 1-0 and 4-1 in the double-elimination final, but each took a different path to make the championship round.

Soccer Player United is a compilation team made up of Soldiers from many different units on Fort Hood, according to player-manager Leon Cook, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

“We have players from many different units on post, like III Corps, 1st Cav. Div. and 3rd Cavalry Regiment, who came together to make this team,” Cook said.

Soccer Player United compiled a 13-1 win-loss record during the intramural regular season play and was the No. 1-seeded team heading into the postseason tournament.

However, it was 4th Sust. Bde., winners of Phantom Warrior Week’s soccer tournament, who went through the tournament undefeated, and reamained that way until the finals.

The top-seeded Soccer Player United team lost its very first postseason tournament game and had to battle back from the loser’s bracket side of the tournament without losing another match if they were to claim the championship as Fort Hood’s intramural soccer champions.

“That loss in our first game of the postseason tournament helped to refocus our team,” Cook said. “It helped us build momentum for the rest of the tournament.”

Soccer Player United went on to win its next five games after that initial loss and claimed the post’s tournament title. Included in that run of victories was a quarterfinal win over the team they had lost to in their opening match.

“Our team showed a lot of resiliency and regrouped after that first defeat,” Cook said. “Knowing that this was a double-elimination tournament, we didn’t put our heads down and kept fighting to claim the championship.”