Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 26, 1994 TAG: 9405260182
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN MONTGOMERY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Winners in 1993 included teams from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee and North Carolina. Outside of Roanoke, the in-state winners were from Herndon, Spotsylvania, Atlee and Lynchburg.
Roanoke had five teams (U-9 White, U-13 White, U-14 Green, U-16 White, and U-12 Women) that won their divisions in 1993. Six other Roanoke Star teams were runners-up.
The only other program with multiple winners was the Kernersville (N.C.) Comets, which won the U-11 and U-14 Blue divisions.
Last year's U-11 champs will compete as U-12s this spring, but the Kernersville team is looking to win again, coach Bill Tomlin said.
"We hope to do very well," Tomlin said. "We're better than we were last year." The Comets are 17-1-3.
Kernersville's first opponent Saturday will be the New River Wranglers. The teams will play at 10:30 a.m. at Green Hill, Field No. 5.
"We stress a lot of teamwork," said Tomlin, who has been with the team four years. "We move the ball very well and emphasize a lot of passing rather than individual play."
Another strong team in the U-12 division will be the Charlotte United Lions White. Charlotte won its division in the First Virginia Bank Soccer Tournament in Roanoke in November.
"I don't feel pressure," said Charlotte coach Jim Hiza, "because we didn't get scored upon at all in four games [in November's FVB tourney].
"We're going to have exactly the same team as we had in November, with the exception of one player."
Charlotte, which is 25-5, is developing a consistent style of play, Hiza said. "We're getting there. We play positionless soccer - that is, any of our players are capable of playing any position, except goalie."
The Charlotte United Lions White meet Roanoke Star in a second-round game Saturday, at 2:15, again at Green Hill, Field No. 5.
by CNB