THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504140546
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
The names on the back of many of the jerseys are the same: Byrd, Kee, Pratt, Sadin, Sedjat, Waite, Wilson.
Same players, different season. And a whole new set of expectations.
For area soccer fans, it's the name on the front of the jerseys that has changed. The Hampton Roads Hurricanes have become the Hampton Roads Mariners, the first and only professional soccer team in Virginia.
Last year, coach Sonny Travis was at the helm of the Hurricanes, an amateur team competing for the first time in the United States Interregional Soccer League.
Eight months after the Hurricanes finished 11-8 and advanced to the Atlantic Division playoffs in their inaugural season, the team has changed its name, moved up to professional status and recruited a bevy of talented players to make a run for the league title.
``We've gone pro to provide the highest level of soccer to the fans in South Hampton Roads,'' Travis said. ``They're going to see a better product this year.''
The Mariners are not the only ones sporting a new moniker. USISL now stands for four different leagues.
The first is the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues - the umbrella organization that encompasses three other, separate leagues. There's the United States International Soccer League, composed of seven divisions of professional teams; the old United States Interregional Soccer League, now made up of 29 amateur teams; and the United States Indoor Soccer League.
Got that? Just remember USISL and you'll be fine.
Although there's plenty of excitement surrounding the new-look Mariners, Travis is careful to keep the enthusiasm in check.
The Atlantic Division is widely regarded as one of the toughest in the United States International Soccer League, and one of its members, the Greensboro Dynamo, has won the last two league championships.
``Some of those teams have been professional for years and they've got a good head start on us,'' Travis said.
The Mariners' improved status has allowed Travis and general manager/assistant coach Shawn McDonald to sign a group of players who otherwise might have bypassed Hampton Roads.
Brandon Ward and Keith DeFini have USA National B Team experience. Goalie Garth Lagerwey was the starting keeper for the USA U-18 National Team in 1989-90 before moving on to Duke, and Darren Eales was the 1994 Ivy League Player of the Year and a first-team All-American at Brown.
In the USISL, a team is allowed six international players. The Mariners have five, two of whom make up Travis' speedy front line.
Wayne Pratt, a native of Huddersfield, England, was the Hurricanes' leading scorer last year. He's joined on the attack by Eales, from Burwell, England.
``Darren just creates so many things,'' Travis said. ``He's got a great work rate and he never stops.''
Eales was also an Academic All-American his senior season at Brown and is one of three finalists nationwide for the Walter Byers Scholarship, awarded to the top student-athlete in the United States.
DeFini, another forward, won't join the team until May. A former All-American at Creighton, he currently is involved in the NPSL playoffs with Kansas City.
Midfield is anchored by Mark Waite, a USISL All-Star last season. Although Waite, a native of Grimsby, England, has had a terrific preseason, he will be looked upon to increase his goal totals.
If Waite is going to turn up the heat offensively, it will be up to Ward to fill the role of defensive midfielder. Ward has excellent quickness and helped lead Indiana to the NCAA Division I final in 1994.
``We've got speed up front, which is a strength, but the guys we have at midfield are all guys who will get us the ball,'' Pratt said.
Speed is evident in the Mariners' defenders as well. Virginia Beach's Alex Kee returns as a starter and is one of the Mariners' hardest tacklers. Matt Kirk, one of the team's quickest players, is dangerous coming out of the backfield into the attack.
Chris Love played with the Baltimore Spirit of the NPSL last season, and sweeper Brian Crane has USISL seasoning through a stint with the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers.
Lagerwey is one player Travis didn't expect to get. After graduating from Duke, Lagerwey went to Germany to play professionally. After learning that he had arrived too late to sign a contract, he got back in touch with several USISL teams that had showed an interest.
``Garth's been better in the early stages than we thought he would,'' Travis said. ``He reads the game well and has excellent distribution of the ball.''
Though the Mariners have stocked their roster with talented players, the Atlantic Division's rich have gotten richer. Greensboro, seeking a third consecutive title, has added Robert Rosario, a 29-year-old midfielder who started 30 games last year for Nottingham Forest, an English Premier League team.
``He gives them an unbelievable advantage,'' Travis said of Rosario, who injured a knee over the winter but recently was cleared to play. ``He's a seasoned international pro. ``I don't know the status of his knee, but I'm definitely concerned.''
Added to the mix is a new team, the Myrtle Beach Boyz.
How the Atlantic Division will play out is hard to predict, but the Mariners' goal is clear.
``We're looking for the playoffs,'' Waite said. ``It'll be tough, but we'll be disappointed if we don't go.'' MEMO: Single-game ticket prices are $5 for adults and $4 for youth. Season
tickets and family packages also are available. For more information,
call 464-1021 or 464-6257.
ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/Staff
Midfielder mark Waite, a USISL All-Star last season, is among seven
returnees. Last year, the Norfolk amateur team called the Hurricanes
finished 11-8.
STAFF MAP
ROSTER
SCHEDULE
[For a list of the roster and schedule, see microfilm for this
date.]
by CNB