THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 21, 1995 TAG: 9506150537
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: 1995 All-Tidewater
Girls Soccer
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
Much to the dismay of area girls' soccer coaches, Norfolk Academy's Angela Hucles has another season of eligibility.
The Norfolk Academy scoring machine, who has played on the Bulldogs' varsity since the seventh grade, will be around for one more year, terrorizing goal keepers and ripping through school scoring records.
``We have had a lot of good players come through here,'' Norfolk Academy coach Kevin Sims said. ``Soccer is definitely a team sport, but having an outstanding player like Angela helps. I don't know if I'll ever have a player of her caliber again.''
After earning Tidewater Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, Hucles improved on her performance scoring 47 goals - two more than last season - and assisting on 23 - two less from last season - to earn the 1995 Player of the Year honors.
A soft-spoken and reserved 16-year-old, Hucles doesn't like to talk about the plethora of awards that have come her way and was surprised to earn top honors for the second straight season.
``Her leadership is significant,'' Sims said. ``It's not loud and boisterous. She's deeply respected by the other kids. She's an exceptional soccer player who's tactically shrewd and plays with finesse.''
Keeping within the humility that she projects on the field, Hucles doesn't worry about how many goals she's tallied. In fact, she figured her numbers were down from last season.
``Last year there was more of a dramatic change in the level of soccer I was playing,'' Hucles said. ``This year, there's not much change. I wanted to maintain somewhere around what I did last year.''
And that she did. Her efforts kept the Bulldogs at No. 1 in the area poll all season and had the college coaches abuzz, just waiting until July 1 when they can verbally make contact.
Hucles has a stack of recruiting letters from all over and hopes to increase her stock this summer playing on her travel team.
By far Norfolk Academy's all-time leading scorer with 152 career goals, Hucles heads a group of All-Tidewater selections chosen by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star in consultation with area coaches.
She is one of four repeat selections that include Cox midfielder Kirsty Hale, Norfolk Acadmey midfielder Carrie Evans, and Maury forward Shwante Snead.
Moving up from the second team are forwards Lynn Wheaton of Great Bridge and Salem's Julie Miller.
Rounding out the first team are Kempsville's Kelly Sisley and Amy Phelps, Salem's Kirstie Neidlinger, Cox's Cara Reske, and First Colonial's Julie Fentress.
Hale, a senior who will play field hockey at Princeton in the fall, led the Falcons to the Beach District and Eastern Region titles.
Hale accounted for more than half of Cox's offense with 33 goals. She was also a first-team all state pick for the second straight season.
Evans was the other half of Norfolk Academy's junior attack that outscored its opponents, 85-3, and ranks sixth among the Bulldogs' all-time leading scorers with 55 goals and 47 assists. This season, she was the TCIS' fifth-leading scorer with 17 goals and 11 assists.
Snead guided the Commodores to another perfect season in the Eastern District and a region appearance. The junior was the team's second-leading scorer with 22 goals and nine assists. She was also a second-team All-Tidewater pick in basketball
Wheaton, who finished her career with 70 goals, netted 21 and assisted on seven.
``She was the offense for the last three years,'' Great Bridge coach Harvey Regan said. ``She was everything.''
Miller, who was named Beach District player of the year and the state's co-player of the year, will continue her soccer career at UNC-Charlotte next fall on a partial athletic and academic scholarship. The senior was named to the All-State first-team and wrapped up her career with nine goals and 12 assists for the Sun Devils.
Kempsville keeper Kelly Sisley was perhaps the area's most tested keeper, while her teammate, Phelps, solidified the Chiefs' midfield.
Neidlinger, who will be on a soccer scholarship at the University of Alabama next year, was a first-team All-State pick and guided the Sun Devils to their best finish with 10 goals and seven assists.
Reske, behind the Falcons' power offense that scored 65 goals, anchored the defense. The junior also netted five goals.
Fentress, a second-team All-State pick who may try and walk-on at Virginia Tech next year, was an integral force in the Patriots' defense. The senior, who since her sophomore year has played every position on the field, notched 13 defensive saves and made 77 percent of her saves when she was in the box. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
Player of the Year
Angela Hucles, Norfolk Academy, Jr., Forward
Kelly Sisley
Kirstie Neidlinger
Cara Reske
Jenny Fentress
Julie Miller
Kirsty Hale
Amy Phelps
Carrie Evans
Lynn Wheaton
Shwante Snead
Graphic
SECOND TEAM
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
by CNB