Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 29, 1995 TAG: 9506010007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The boys' soccer teams of this region don't have the Under-19 Roanoke Star White squad to kick around anymore.
Playing together for the first time since last fall, the Star erased the memories of last year's disappointing season by easily winning the U-19 division of the Crestar Festival Soccer Tournament.
The Star U-19 squad went 3-0 in the two-day, round-robin tournament, which concluded with a 4-0 victory Sunday over the Hunterdon (N.J.) Red Devils at River's Edge Sports Complex. The Star was supposed to play the Red Devils again in a championship match, but it was decided by both sides to let the first meeting count as the championship because of steady rain and worsening field conditions.
There was no debating the Star was clearly the best team in the field. The only unbeaten squad in the four-team field, the Star U-19s outscored the opposition 20-1 in the tournament.
It was an impressive exhibition that could bode well for the fall season, when the Star again will play in the Virginia Premier Soccer League, which comprises the commonwealth's best teams. Last fall, the Star, a powerhouse in this part of the state, went 2-4-1 in its first year in the league.
Cruising to the Crestar championship ``was real surprising,'' Star U-19 coach Danny Beamer said. ``We had a tough fall season against some awesome competition. When you're not winning a lot, when you're playing great teams like we were last fall, it wears on the guys after awhile. ... For some reason we didn't click [last fall]. This weekend, we clicked.''
Chris Hewitt scored three goals and assisted on Tait Duus' score in Sunday's win. Hewitt's first two goals gave the Star a 2-0 lead at halftime.
``We hadn't played with each other in awhile, so we were excited,'' said Hewitt, a student at Cave Spring. The U-19 squad is composed of players from Cave Spring, Patrick Henry, North Cross, William Byrd and Holy Cross in Lynchburg.
``I wasn't expecting to roll through,'' Hewitt said. ``I thought New Jersey [Hunterdon] would give us more of a challenge.''
The Star U-19 girls also won their championship in dominating fashion. The U-19 girls posted two 6-0 victories over the New River Lady Express on Sunday, including the championship game.
It was a good day for Roanoke teams, as the Star program won championships in nine divisions and finished second in three others. Twenty-five divisions - 18 boys' divisions and seven girls' divisions - crowned champions. (Results in Scoreboard. B10)
In addition to the U-19 team, the Star U-10 White and U-12 White teams won titles. The U-10 team beat the Winston-Salem Red Royal 3-1 in the finals and the U-12 squad beat the West Virginia Valley Tigers 2-1 to win the championship.
In boys' play, the Star U-10 White team won the Gold division with a 4-0 win over Hagerstown (Md.); the U-11 White beat Kernersville (N.C.) 2-0 to win the Gold division; the U-12 Green beat Catawba Valley (N.C.) 2-1 for the Blue division title; the U-13 White won the Gold division championship with a 2-1 win over Hagerstown; and the U-15 White team beat East River (W.Va.) 3-1 for the Gold division championship.
The Star U-16 White lost in the finals to Hagerstown 3-2 on penalty kicks; the U-13 Green was beaten by the Culpeper Comets 2-1 for the championship; and the U-12 White lost in the Gold division final 4-0 to the Midlothian Blast.
by CNB