Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 30, 1994 TAG: 9405300078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"What do you think?" Blum asked.
Feldmann hesitated only briefly. "Run clock, run," he replied.
They weren't discussing a John Updike novel.
Their sons, players for the Roanoke Star U-19 White, were battling Durham-Chapel Hill (N.C.) Hotspur for the division championship of the Crestar Festival Soccer Tournament. This was the same Durham-Chapel Hill team that beat Roanoke 1-0 on Saturday.
But through an intricate point system, the two teams were playing again - this time for the title. Roanoke was without the services of sweeper Vaden Hunt, who injured a shoulder in a game Sunday morning, and Ry Moore, a fullback who was ejected along with Durham-Chapel Hill's Sam Starkweather after a first-half altercation.
Hunt and Moore are two of their team's best players, both selected to the U.S. Olympic Development Team representing Virginia.
Feldmann and Blum were not the only ones urging on the timekeeper. But their fears were unfounded. Roanoke's Aaron Hodgin added a breakaway goal, and the Star won 2-0. Hotspur had played four games in 26 hours, and fatigue began to show.
Twenty-one teams, from a field of 155, were crowned champions Sunday, concluding the two-day tournament.
The U-19 White was one of six Star teams to win championships. The U-11 Green, the U-14, U-15 and U-16 White and the U-19 women also earned winners' trophies. Another local team, the Salem Sabres, defeated the Midlothian Blast Blue 2-1 to win the Under-13 Red division.
Four other Star teams played in title games but finished second.
The only other program with multiple winners was Charlotte United, which took the U-13 Gold and Blue divisions.
The Roanoke Star U-14 White team is coached by Jeff Allen, a 27-year-old who has been working with teams in the Star program for six seasons. Sunday's victory, a 3-1 decision over the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg (N.C.) Roadrunners, was Allen's fourth tournament title.
"These players are real committed. They work year-round," Allen said. "They even get together two or three times a week in the summer and kick the ball around."
Chris Dowdy scored two goals in the final to lead the Star U-14 White. Scott Lofranco scored the third goal. Allen also praised the play of goalkeeper Will Krause and sweeper Brent Cochran.
The Burlington (N.C.) Blaze got second-half goals from Steven Cockman and Stephen Gunn to defeat the Star U-16 Green 2-0 for their championship.
"Our play was gutsy," said Gary Howlett, Burlington's coach. "We only came here with 14 players." One Blaze player, David Coker, flew in from Burlington and joined the squad at halftime.
The Star U-16 Green team included players from nine Roanoke-area high schools.
The Star U-19 women's team posted the most lopsided championship score, crushing the Capital City (Tenn.) Strikers 8-0. Roanoke outscored its opponents 25-1 in four games.
Danny Beamer, the Star's executive director, coached two winning teams, the U-16 and U-19 Twenty-one teams, from a field of 155, were crowned champions Sunday, concluding the two-day tournament. White. Both squads posted shutouts in the finals.
"It's been a long time since I've had two teams win tournament championships on the same day," Beamer said.
Beamer explained why the U-19 team reversed Saturday's outcome. "We kept our heads and played our style of soccer," he said. "We played under control."
Tournament officials said this year's event was one of the smoothest they've witnessed. "We've had a lack of problems," said Paul Sharp, whose duties as tournament director ranged from handing out trophies to aiding injured players.
The tournament's scorekeeper, Sandy Paterson, spent much of his time conversing on a two-way radio with volunteers at six other soccer venues around the Roanoke Valley.
"OK, Vinyard," Paterson said, acknowledging a score. "Now get your corner flags, your scorecards, your water jug, whatever else you've got there, and meet me at the Holiday Inn-Tanglewood [tournament headquarters]."
Paterson said he slept only from 2:30 a.m. until 4:30 a.m. Sunday, as he handled scheduling inquiries from coaches and updated scoresheets.
Mark Ingvaldsen, a Roanoke City fireman who served as coordinator of referees, worked with more than 100 game officials. Some came from Greensboro, N.C.; Northern Virginia; Richmond; and Maryland.
Ingvaldsen said he didn't receive many complaints from coaches. "I think they've accepted most decisions," Ingvaldsen said, "as much as they're going to."
by CNB