THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, May 27, 1995                 TAG: 9505270552
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C6   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                     LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

MARINERS WOULD LIKE NEW STADIUM CEL FIELD IS HOME FOR NOW, INCLUDING TONIGHT VS. RALEIGH.

It's cramped, it's lumpy and it's scattered with bald spots.

But for the Hampton Roads Mariners soccer team, it's home.

Although the field at the Center for Effective Learning is a place that even Dorothy and Toto would be reluctant to come back to, until a new multipurpose stadium is built in South Hampton Roads, it's where the Mariners will have to play.

They resume play there tonight at 7:30 against Raleigh.

``It's narrow, and the condition of the grass isn't good down the middle,'' said midfielder Brandon Ward. ``It's bumpy and that makes it hard to control the ball.''

``Against Charleston (a 1-0 loss) we had a lot of shots over the bar. The ball doesn't sit down when you try to strike it well,'' said forward Darren Eales. ``It makes it harder to pass the ball around.''

For a professional soccer team, it's hardly a professional-quality field. The city governments of both Norfolk and Virginia Beach have been approached about funding a stadium that the Mariners could move into, but details are sketchy and no action has been taken as yet.

``It could happen quickly if the money is approved,'' said Hampton Roads general manager Shawn McDonald.

For now the Mariners will have to make do. Although the team averages a meager one goal a game at home - compared to five goals on the road - the players admit that there may be certain advantages to having a less-than-perfect field.

``It's small, so it keeps me from expending too much energy,'' said Ward. ``It allows me to cover more ground, which is my job.''

``We know what it's like, and that's a bit of an advantage because the opponents coming in don't,'' Eales said.

INJURED RESERVE: Aside from an ankle sprain by Eales, the Mariners have been lucky when it comes to players missing time due to injury. The coaching staff hasn't been so fortunate.

McDonald, who is an assistant to head coach Sonny Travis in addition to his general manager duties, tore two knee ligaments while playing in an over-30 game last Sunday. He will have total knee reconstruction surgery on June 14. by CNB