THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120618
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Athlete of the Week
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
When he first tried out for the Lake Taylor soccer team as a sophomore, goalkeeper Kent Rhodes admits he had no idea what was going on.
But two years of experience have made all the difference. Now it's Rhodes who is leaving the competition clueless.
The senior stumped Maury, South Hampton Roads' seventh-ranked team, by registering 23 saves as the Titans played the Commodores to a 0-0 tie.
For his effort, Rhodes is The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star's boys athlete of the week.
``When I came out, I didn't know what was going on,'' he said. ``I wasn't as sure of myself. I think I've gotten a lot better. I know I can play a good game. I've gone through the motions so much. It's easy to go after the ball and it's natural for me to stop it.''
With most of the game played on his half of the field - the Commodores launched 36 shots - Rhodes had to concentrate on every play.
``I had to play and couldn't make any mistakes,'' he said. ``I think I have a better ballgame if the ball is played down at my half. I get kind of complacent when the ball's at the other end.''
Rhodes showed no signs of faltering even when Maury sent nearly all of its players forward on the attack.
``Every time I sent the ball out, they'd want it. They just kept coming at us,'' he said.
``I think I played the field right. They had some really nice shots. But it seemed like I was right there where they were taking their shots. They wanted to score really bad.''
So did Lake Taylor.
Late in the second half, Rhodes and his team thought they scored what would've been the game winner on a Jay Jenkins shot.
However, the officials didn't count the goal, ruling that the Titans had roughed the Maury keeper.
But as much as Rhodes would've liked to beat Maury, he was content with the tie.
``I would've liked to win,'' Rhodes said. ``I don't think we thought we were going to get as close as we got. We all knew what we had to do when we came to that game. We'd never even come close to beating them. It gives us a lot of confidence . . . a lot.
``It assures us of playing better in the future. We know we can actually play well. That's a good feeling for Lake Taylor. It's a good feeling for me, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Kent Rhodes
by CNB