Nellis/Creech soccer team brings home bronze trophy Published Sept. 17, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Twenty service members from Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases' soccer team competed and tied for third place, with Dyess Air Force Base's soccer team, in the 2014 Department of Defense's Defender Cup soccer tournament. The Defender Cup is an annual military soccer tournament held at the STAR Soccer Complex in San Antonio, Texas during the Labor Day weekend. This year, 38 teams from around the DOD competed in the tournament. This highly-competitive tournament has been running for the past 11 years, and continues to bring players from all branches of military service together for competitive play. "This is a great opportunity for all Airmen who enjoy the game of soccer," said Richard Nova, Nellis/Creech soccer team captain. "Our team has built an amazing competitive mindset. Not only do we get to play the game we love, but at the same time we are building strong cohesive relationships with each other. This is also a unique experience because it joins Airmen from two local geographically-separated bases, who normally would never interact, and now we are on a team together fighting for a common cause." The strong ties help the players take the enjoyment they get from a game to the next level, Nova said. "We joke that our team is not Nellis/Creech, but rather 'Crellis' or 'Neech,'" he said. Nicknames aside, many members of the team, like Cameron Hatchell, said their experience from playing in the Defender Cup made the team's bond even stronger. "I've always enjoyed soccer. I've played my whole life, but we really came together as a team," Hatchell said. "To go from almost nothing to third place is really impressive." The Nellis/Creech team's first appearance in the Defender Cup was 2013, where the team placed 16th. With 38 bases throughout the DOD competing in this year's event, tying for third is a fairly significant accomplishment. However, the team remains determined to improve their standing, Nova said. "The team was very satisfied with our finish, but there was definitely a feeling of wanting more," he said. "We played seven games in roughly 60 hours, surpassing all expectations. We felt we could have won it all, and we almost did." The Nellis/Creech team's final game was against the Joint Base Hawaii team. The Hawaiian team consists of members from all service branches stationed in Hawaii. "We went head-to-head with them and at the end of regulation time, we were tied 1-1," Nova said. "We eventually lost in a penalty kick shootout. Joint Base Hawaii lost to U.S. Army Fort Irwin, California in the championship match, but in our last three games against Fort Irwin, prior to the Defender Cup, we defeated them handedly. Knowing we could beat the eventual champions left us with the taste of wanting more." More is exactly what the Nellis/Creech team is expecting as they continue to practice and prepare for next year's tournament by competing in amateur leagues in Las Vegas every weekend. Anyone interested in joining or learning about the Nellis/Creech Soccer team can email Hatchell at cameron.hatchell@us.af.mil.
