THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409150639
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
When Old Dominion women's soccer coach Linda Hamilton looks across the ODU soccer field today, she'll see a familiar face on the Navy sidelines.
Both Hamilton and Navy head coach Carin Gabarra are members of the U.S. Women's National Team, which recently won the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 1995 Women's World Championship in Sweden.
But while the two have been teammates since 1987, their playing styles are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Gabarra was an offensive star and four-time All-American at California-Santa Barbara, where she became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer with 102 goals and 78 assists, a record that still stands. In 1992, she was named United States Soccer's Female Athlete of the Year.
Hamilton is known as a defensive specialist, and her list of accolades is just as long as Gabarra's. After earning All-American honors her first three years at North Carolina State, Hamilton transferred to North Carolina. She led the Tar Heels to the NCAA title in 1990 and was selected to her fourth All-American team.
So will it be Navy's offense vs. ODU's defense? Hamilton doesn't think it will play out that way.
``It's so different coaching a team than playing on one . . . it's a totally different environment,'' she said. ``As a player, I'm worried about myself. As a coach, I'm worried about how the entire team performs.''
Although the bottom line is that Navy is just another opponent for the Monarchs, Hamilton admits there might be something special about this game: ``They're going to be tough . . . but it's going to be fun to play against someone I'm on the same team with.''
LADY MARLINS WIN: Paige Kerry's crossing shot deflected off a Mary Washington player for an own-goal with 1:54 remaining as host Virginia Wesleyan upended Mary Washington, 3-2, in a women's soccer match. The Lady Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division III South Region, fell to 3-1. Freshman Marcie Blackbourn scored two goals for the Lady Marlins (3-1). Wesleyan keeper Sonya Huss made 15 saves. The Lady Marlins will host Washington & Lee at 2 p.m. Saturday
U.VA. MEN WIN: Matthew Leonard scored twice to lead No. 1 Virginia (4-1) to an 8-2 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Bob Ashworth scored twice for the Hokies (2-3). by CNB