THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 22, 1995 TAG: 9509220617
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
When Soccer America previewed the Colonial Athletic Association, the magazine gave Old Dominion only an outside chance of challenging for the conference title, saying that coach Ralph Perez ``has his work cut out for him without his top three scorers.''
No one knew that the solution to the Monarchs' offensive problems would be as simple as giving junior forward Carlos Vasco the opportunity he had desired.
With seven goals in five games, Vasco is tied for seventh nationally in goals scored and tied for 18th in points. Although he's reluctant to admit it, Vasco will be the focus of ODU's opponents when the Monarchs host the 20th Annual MetLife Soccer Classic today and Sunday.
William and Mary kicks off the tournament at 5 p.m. against Loyola College. ODU faces Adelphi at 7:30 p.m.
Vasco's quick start - which includes a hat trick against East Carolina - is a big leap from last season, when he netted just one goal and one assist in 19 games as a sophomore. But with the departure of forwards Milo Iniguez, Gene Bowman and Geof Thompson, Vasco sees his early success as a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
``I felt like this year I'd get my chance (to start), and I'd better make the best of my opportunities,'' he said. ``I try to play the best I can and help my teammates. It's great if I score goals, but the bottom line is to win.''
Trying to get Vasco to talk about his individual accomplishments? You'd have better success starting a conversation with a mime. Even national rankings do little to impress him, and questioning Vasco about his own statistics only elicits a reply that gives credit for his success to his teammates.
``Carlos is concerned only with the welfare of the team. He's a really good guy in that respect,'' Perez said. ``He tries to push it (the ranking) off as saying he's just doing his job. He's more concerned about getting chances for others and having them score.''
Perez attributes Vasco's improvement to two things - an increase in playing time and a better knowledge of the physical aspects of collegiate soccer.
``There's no question . . . that more minutes will give you more opportunities. And he's gotten stronger physically and mentally. Carlos feels comfortable now - he knows it comes with the territory that (a scorer) is going to be a marked man,'' Perez said. ``He's also gotten much better at playing without the ball and getting into position.''
Vasco came to ODU with excellent soccer pedigree. His father played Division II semi-pro soccer in Colombia, and after leaving Medellin at the age of nine, Vasco went on to earn all-state honors throughout his career at Jackson (N.J.) Memorial High School, where he holds the record for scoring (83 goals, 43 assists). All-American distinction came in Vasco's junior and senior years.
As the hot scorer in the Monarchs' offense, Vasco will be keyed on by defenses in the MetLife Classic. But he's come up big in the tournament before. As a freshman, Vasco scored the game-tying goal in a 3-2 win over 19th-ranked Washington that gave ODU the MetLife title.
``We've been practicing hard, so we'll be ready for this weekend,'' Vasco said. ``Our first couple of games, we were having trouble finishing. But the goals will come no matter if I score them or someone else does.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ODU forward Carlos Vasco
by CNB