Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 10, 1994 TAG: 9406170094
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Salem center-halfback is Timesland's player of the year, completing a year in which she also played basketball and volleyball for the Spartans.
Sharon McCulley, who has been instrumental in the growth of high school girls' soccer in this area, is Timesland's coach of the year.
The team, which is picked by the coaches of the seven Timesland teams that play girls' soccer, has four repeat first-team choices from a year ago: Salem's Moore, Patrick Henry stopper Carrie Moore and Martinsville sisters Beth Kirby at wing and Leighton Kirby at center-midfield.
Patrick Henry, which was unbeaten during the regular season, had the most selections with four on the first team. Joining Carrie Moore are Emily Bryant at striker, and Erin McCulley and Ayisha Whitenack at sweeper.
Cave Spring center-halfback Alison Beightol, who was a first-team selection two years ago and a second-teamer last spring, is one of three Knights on this year's team. The others are goalkeeper Heather Krause and striker Tiffany Jackson, both sophomores.
The young first team, which has only three seniors, is completed by North Cross center-midfielder Emily Cook.
Heather Moore stood out on a Salem team that was inexperienced and struggled for victories.
``It was frustrating, but we improved over the season,'' she said. ``I tried to be a coach on the field. I never discouraged, but always tried to encourage my teammates.''
She has learned something about coaching from her mother, Gaylyn Moore, who coaches the team at North Cross and was Timesland's coach of the year last spring.
Heather Moore was limited to six goals and six assists. Still, Virginia Tech and coaches in Timesland saw potential in the Spartans' star. She earned a partial athletic scholarship to Tech for women's soccer.
``Soccer is my favorite sport,'' Moore said. ``I've been playing it all my life. I wanted to have a chance to play Division I soccer. The [Timesland] award is great. I was kind of shocked to get it.''
McCulley felt her 1991 PH team, which went 12-0-1, was the best until this year's edition went 15-0 during the regular season before losing 4-1 to Gar-Field in the Northwest Region tournament.
``Overall, I had strength in all positions and didn't have to rely on one player [Liz Wedemeyer] as I did in 1991,'' McCulley said. ``I had enough reserves so that I could rotate players equally at several positions.''
McCulley sees the day when Roanoke Valley District teams will compete with other squads from the Northwest Region and possibly make the Group AAA tournament.
``I think as we get the girls playing travel soccer with more competition than just recreation leagues, we'll get stronger competition in the Roanoke Valley,'' she said. ``We're getting to that level and, of course, Martinsville came on real strong at the end of the year.''
Next year, Timesland girls' soccer will expand. William Byrd, a club team this year whose players were not eligible for All-Timesland, is expected to add girls' soccer as a varsity sport. Northside also is a possibility, and New River Valley schools Christiansburg and Blacksburg have decided to participate in the sport next year.
by CNB