Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 29, 1994 TAG: 9405290097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The crowd surrounding Field No. 4 at River's Edge Sports Complex was an eclectic group.
Perhaps the only bond was an affection for the sport of soccer - and perhaps an appreciation of a cloudless Saturday with a comfortable temperature and low humidity.
The action on the field in the 3 p.m. game of the Crestar Festival Soccer Tournament held the attention of hundreds - parents, players, college scouts and others. Durham-Chapel Hill (N.C.) Hotspur defeated Roanoke Star White 1-0, moving the winners a step closer to this afternoon's Under-19 men's championship. Durham's Richard Kleiman slipped a kick past Star goalkeeper Chris Andres in the middle of the second half for the goal.
Twenty-one division winners will be determined today as the 155 teams continue play on 19 fields at seven sites around the Roanoke Valley.
Of all the matches Saturday, the Roanoke White/Durham-Chapel Hill Under-19 game unquestionably was a marquee matchup. And it drew a marquee crowd.
At one end of the field stood Bob Lawson, president of Crestar Bank-Roanoke. He was talking with Tim Berry, also a Crestar executive and president of the 375-player, 23-team Roanoke Star program.
"Soccer is an artistic, finesse sport," Lawson said, explaining some of the game's worldwide appeal. "You don't see players overpowering people all of the time."
This is the eighth year Crestar has sponsored the tournament.
"Three aspects of it are important to us," Lawson said. "It's a positive experience for the kids who play; the economy of the Roanoke Valley is helped by the number of [out-of-town] people who come; and it's a way for us to help out with an important event of the Festival in the Park celebration."
Another interested observer at the field was Bern Ewert, former city manager of Roanoke and former chief of the Explore project. Ewert is a research professor at George Mason University and a special adviser to the mayor of Pilsen, a city in the Czech Republic.
Ewert estimates he spends 80 percent of his working time in Europe, but he still maintains a residence in Roanoke.
"This [tournament] brings back fond memories," Ewert said.
Ewert's wife, Janet, played a role in the founding of the Roanoke Star program in the mid-1980s, and their son, Aaron, developed into a Division III All-America goalie at Roanoke College.
Near the Roanoke Star bench stood four boys of different ages, dressed in various uniforms. All were pulling for the Star.
Bradley Cobbs, 9, is a member of the Under-10 Franklin County Griffins.
"We lost both of our games today," Cobbs said.
The Griffins lost 6-1 to the PWSI Rowdies from Prince William County and to the Reams Tigers from the Richmond area in games at Green Hill Park.
"I scored our goal on a penalty kick," Cobbs said. "I forgot the score of our first game. It was kind of early this morning."
In the cluster with Cobbs were Trey Clower, who plays for Roanoke Star Under-13 Green, Harry Hamilton of Star Under-12 White and Michael Andres of Star Under-11 Green. Each had played two games Saturday.
Clower's team lost both games, Hamilton's team split its games and Andres' squad won twice.
Andres, a goalkeeper like his older brothers, Chris and Kenneth, did not give up a goal in the two halves he played.
Why were all these boys watching another game after they'd been playing soccer all day? Hamilton spoke for the group.
"`[The U-19 Star White players] are good," Hamilton said. "They teach us stuff."
Danny Beamer, the Star's executive director, coaches two teams in the tournament, the Under-19 White and the Under-16 White. He had four games to coach Saturday, as well as responsibility for arranging many of the tournament details.
"Durham is a decent team," Beamer said. "But we can play with them. I thought we were mentally taken out of our game a little bit."
The Star had beaten the Southern West Virginia Football Club 5-0 in an earlier game, and Durham-Chapel Hill's first game of the day was against Roanoke. Durham played a physical game that seemed to aggravate several Star players.
Hotspur (15-4) is coached by Jorg Wagner, a native of Germany who moved to the United States seven years ago and enrolled in graduate school at the University of North Carolina.
"We have some big boys," Wagner said, "and we definitely had an advantage in the second half of not playing another game this morning.
"But they put a lot of pressure on us in the first half, and I was surprised we weren't behind by a goal - or maybe two."
Beamer reminded his Under-19 players they have two more games today, and they still could be involved in the championship.
"Let's be prepared," Beamer said. "Let's get some sleep tonight."
by CNB