344th MIB soccer team wins base championship Published April 1, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Breonna Fields 17th Training Wing Public Affairs GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The Army 344th Military Intelligence Battalion soccer team defeated the Marine detachment soccer team, 2-0, during the 2013 Goodfellow base soccer championship March 21 at the Mathis Fitness Center football field, here. "We won last year so it's been back to back now," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Luis Varelaseade, 344th MIB Charlie Company platoon sergeant, commenting on the Army's second win. The team trains consistently despite the conflicting schedules each of the players have. "We practice once a week, because the schedules are hard to work around," said Varelaseade. "We ensure each player knows what he has to do, what positions he has to play, his roles on the team and if he was sure about himself so he could win." Teamwork was one of the key elements to the Army battalion defeating the Marine detachment. "The Marines, they have one heck of a team," said Varelaseade. But that's a part of a soccer team, you're always going to have to put up a fight." Even though the Marines have a good team, the Army does too, said Staff Sgt. Walter Navarro, 344th MIB Bravo Company platoon sergeant. "We have a good team, we did pretty well," said Navarro. Navarro is deciding whether to coach the team next year since Varelaseade does not plan to. Varelaseade said he is confident in his successor. "We have the same mentality the same ambitions when it comes to building a team, there shouldn't be any problems," said Varelaseade. Varelaseade has confidence in the team next year and their ability to win the championship again. "The soccer team is one of the teams we have to build every year from the bottom up," said Varelaseade. "The soldiers here now are about to graduate and we have to get new players and build them up and win again."
