Stuttgart's Haley Wells tries to make her way between Wiesbaden defenders Hannah Buccheit, left, and Loren Venton, in the DODEA-Europe Division I girls soccer semifinals Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

REICHENBACH-STEEGEN, Germany – A goalkeeper’s job is to keep the ball out of the net any way she or he can.

So Lakenheath junior Chloe Aldrich, staring down a pair of penalty kicks in a DODEA-Europe Division I girls soccer semifinal Wednesday, used her detective skills.

“I paid attention to how she was standing and what she was looking at,” Aldrich said after her team advanced to the championship game with a 1-0 victory over Ramstein.

So she chose to dive in the direction that she thought Eleftheria Randitsas appeared to be leaning to, right?

Nope.

“I went the opposite way,” Aldrich said. “It was a bit too obvious.”

She dove right in the first half and stopped one shot. She dove left in the second half and stopped the other.

As a result the Lancers are now playing Stuttgart on Thursday.

Stuttgart's Haileigh Spencer kicks the ball toward the goal with a crossing shot in the Panthers' 4-1 victory over Wiesbaden in the DODEA-Europe Division I girls soccer semifinals on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart's Anna Thompson and Wiesbaden's McKinley Viers battle for the ball Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division I girls championships. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden's Hannah Buccheit kicks the ball away right before Stuttgart's Bella Henderson can get to her in the Panthers' 4-1 victory over the Warriors in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division I girls championship Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath, which had tied with the Royals during the regular season thanks to an improbable goal in the final seconds of the match, got its only goal in the second half.

Sophia Yorko took a free kick from near midfield that landed, then bounced over a crowd of players. Macy Herring pounced on it, heading the ball into the net.

Besides the pair of penalty kicks, the Royals had other good opportunities to score – including Isabel Fischer’s shot off the crossbar in the scoreless first half – but couldn’t get the ball past Aldrich.

“We’ve known we can take on any of these teams,” said Lakenheath coach Jose Pumarejo, whose team defeated Stuttgart 2-1 in the regular season and lost 2-0 in the second game of the tournament. “We’re ready for it.”

Ramstein's Eleftheria Randitsas takes a penalty kick Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division I girls soccer championships. Lakenheath goalkeeper Chloe Aldritch prevented the goal with a diving save in the Lancers' 1-0 victory. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein's Isabel Fisher shoots before Lakenheath's Alyssa Salina can get to her Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division I girls soccer championships. The shot hit the crossbar and bounced away. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath's Sophia Yorko kicks the ball away before Ramstein's Eleftheria Randitsas can get to her in the Warriors' 1-0 victory over the Royals in the DODEA-Europe Division I girls semifinals Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Reichenbach-Steegen, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath players run through a tunnel formed by players from the boys team and fans after advancing to the DODEA-Europe Division I girls championship game with a victory over Ramstein on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart 4, Wiesbaden 1: The Warriors played the Panthers close before Stuttgart scored a pair of goals in a short span to pull away.

Issa Sanchez put Stuttgart on top 1-0 in the first half. It stayed that way until about midway in the second half when two quick scores made it 3-0.

Wiesbaden got on the board when McKinley Viers booted the ball across the goal and Hailey Forrest chipped it in. But the two second-half goals from Haley Wells and one from Bella Henderson were too much overcome.

Stuttgart coach Robert Loyd said his team appears to be peaking at the right time.

“They have played better in the tournament than they did all season,” he said. “Everything we’ve been working on all year has come together.”

Wells, who got hit in the face by a hard-kicked ball and left the field late in the game, is likely going to play, Loyd said.

“She’s not going to want to miss this one,” he said. “We’re all excited about the matchup and ready to play.”