Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 18, 1995 TAG: 9510180033
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Dolphins dominated the White Division of the under-16 division of the Oct. 9 Columbus Day Virginia Beach Soccer Tournament and beat the Lafayette Admirals of Norfolk 3-0 in the championship game.
``In the finals Lafayette played us tough, but for the first 15 minutes they probably only had the ball a total of one minute,`` Dolphins coach Chris Evans said. ``Eventually they just gave up because we controlled the ball so well, and we ended up winning by three goals."
The Dolphins compiled a 3-0-1 record during the tournament, posting wins over teams from Chesapeake and Prince William and recording a draw with the Richmond Spirit.
The Dolphins are an all-star team of boys age 16 and under from the Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford and Giles County areas. Players must try out for the team.
``The selection process was a difficult one." Evans said. ``We had a lot of kids who were deserving and that made it really hard to do. But a lot of the players on this team have been with us several years now."
Players probably found much to like about Evans' coaching philosophy. He coaches the Brazilian style of play as opposed to the more popular English one that is used by many teams.
Brazilian style soccer, dubbed ``The Beautiful Game," emphasizes ball control and passing and takes a much more offensive approach to the game than do many European teams.
The Blacksburg team has adapted well to the Brazilian game, Evans said .
``We are still learning how to play that style of soccer, but it has been successful thus far," Evans said. ``We have done a good job of controlling the ball and the flow of the game,"
The Virginia Beach tournament was a sort of warm-up for the Virginia State Cup Soccer Tournament.
``We really should have been competing in the Premier Division at the Columbus Day tournament," Evan said. ``We were just so much better than the teams we played.
``But now we have a chance to go up against the ranked teams in the State Cup. I look for us to be in the top-eight finishers, and depending on how we are playing at the time, we could finish in the top-four."
The State Cup is sanctioned by the Virginia High School League. A board of officials select the elite teams in the state and rank the top-16. Tournaments, such as the one in VIrginia Beach serve as the springboard to the State Cup.
Three other New River Valley area soccer clubs either won or took second in the tournament.
The New River Strikers won the under-13 age group's Premier Division in a sudden death overtime shootout against the Wilmington (N.C.) Breakers. The Strikers scored on four penalty shots in the shootout to capture the title.
The match was sent into overtime when Striker Michael Orr's header redirected a corner kick by Stewart Dowling.
The New River Wranglers took first place in the under-14 division, defeating Lynchburg United 4-1. The Wranglers were 4-0 in the tournament.
In the under-11 classification, the New River Rangers placed second in the tournament with a 3-1 mark. The Rangers, coached by Jeff Ruppert and Jason Decker, outscored the opposition 11-1 before losing 4-1 to Yorktown in the finals.
by CNB