THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 9, 1995 TAG: 9505090377
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
In her few idle moments, Angela Hucles retreats to her secret passion.
The Norfolk Academy junior pops in one of her favorite compact discs and kicks back while absorbing the far-reaching melodies of Bette Midler. Or maybe the hip-hop attitude of Salt 'n' Pepa. Sometimes, it's the soothing, new-age, Gaelic sounds of Enya.
That basically describes Angela Hucles, the soccer player. She has range. And style. And flavor.
But she wants more. And it, too, rests among her CDs.
She wants to play soccer without limits, without boundaries. She wants to turn up the volume.
She wants to play like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
``My goal is to play at a constant, high level,'' Hucles said. ``I want to play hard for entire games.''
Opponents figure that's what she's been doing.
After almost four years of watching Hucles run circles around them, many foes have their own wish: They want her to graduate.
``She's one of the best all-around soccer players I've seen in my 12 years of coaching soccer here,'' Cox coach Terri Sawyer said. ``She plays 110 percent at both ends of the field. I hope she graduates soon. But I don't think it will be soon enough.''
Hucles has been wearing a varsity jersey for Norfolk Academy since the seventh grade. Bulldogs coach Kevin Sims simply figured it would be a waste of talent to limit her to the junior varsity.
Thus, she hears the tongue-in-cheek comments.
``I'll be out there and someone will say, `I thought you were graduating this year,' '' Hucles said.
Instead, she has another year to go, another year to pad what is already a phenomenal school scoring record. Another year to dominate the local scene.
A two-time All-Tidewater player, and the player of the year last season, Hucles will likely repeat those honors again this year. In 18 games, Hucles has 38 goals and 21 assists.
She has scored 143 career goals with 87 assists for the Bulldogs, who enter this week's Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools postseason tournament as prohibitive favorites. The Bulldogs (15-2-1) have not lost in 135 TCIS games dating back 14 years. They open quarterfinal play today against eighth-seeded Catholic at 4:30.
Hucles was most valuable player of last year's tournament.
A four-time member of Virginia's Olympic Development Program Team, Hucles made the Region I (East) squad last year for her age group - she turns 17 in July - and did some serious head-turning at the National ODP Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla.
Competing against players from around the country over Thanksgiving break, Hucles scored three of her team's five goals and assisted on another in four games. Her team won the gold medal.
``I played on a high,'' Hucles said. ``And it was some of the best soccer I've ever played.''
Problem is, until she reaches college, Hucles really has nowhere to go. The U.S. women's program is more limited than the men's.
There are three women's national teams - the U.S. National team, the Under-20 U.S. National team and the Under-16 U.S. National team. An Under-15 National Team is in the early stages.
Hucles is caught in a void. Even if she is the best player in the country at her age, there are many quality college players who qualify for the Under-20 National Team.
``We really need an under-18 national team,'' Hucles said.
Joe Pereira, who directs the ODP Region III (South) program, saw Hucles at the national tournament last fall. And he witnessed Norfolk Academy's 5-1 victory over Cox two weeks ago, in which Hucles scored three goals in a battle of teams which, at the time, were co-No. 1s in South Hampton Roads.
Pereira, recently named head coach of Old Dominion University's fledgling women's program, agrees that there is a huge need for an under-18 national team. But he adds that Hucles might just be good enough earn an invite to the Under-20 National Camp despite her age.
``There's quite a pool of players to pick from,'' Pereira said. ``That pretty much includes college sophomores. But from what I've seen from the physical side, Angela's very impressive. She's got size, speed, quickness and good skills.''
If anything, Pereira says Hucles is definitely good enough to be named to this year's Parade All-America team, an honor few Virginians receive. On last year's 36-member team, only Therese Wolden of W.T. Woodson in Northern Virginia made it.
``There's some degree of subjectivity that goes into it,'' Sims said. ``But there are those in the college ranks and ODP ranks who think a lot of Angie.''
Just how much they think of her should become rapidly evident over the summer when her college recruitment reaches its peak.
Although both her parents are professors at ODU - mom teaches psychology while dad teaches history - chances are she will go elsewhere to an established program. President of her upcoming senior class, Hucles whistles through her current shopping list of colleges: North Carolina, William and Mary, Virginia, Notre Dame and Portland (Ore.)
``Those are the best programs in the country,'' Pereira said. ``And they'll be looking at her, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by Christopher Reddick
Angela Hucles, a two-time All-Tidewater player, and the player the
year last season, has 140 career goals with 86 assists for the
Bulldogs.
by CNB