THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510080198
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KEVIN DOEPP, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
In the 1960s, a dynamic duo known as Batman and Robin fought to keep the world safe from Jokers, Penguins and Riddlers.
A new dynamic duo of sorts - men's goalkeeper Taylor Tucker and women's goalkeeper Eryn Craft - has emerged at Longwood College. Its mission: keeping soccer balls from entering the Lancers' nets.
Heading into last week's action, both Tucker, a senior, and Craft, a freshman, were the top goalkeepers in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference.
Tucker, a Princess Anne graduate, slipped to third after a loss to Mary Washington.
Tucker, who originally had applied to Virginia Wesleyan, wound up at Longwood when playing for the Marlins fell through. He really had the desire to play college soccer and hopes to continue to play after college.
``I have such a drive and love for the game that I just wanted to play college ball somewhere,'' said Tucker, who has missed only two matches in his career at Longwood. ``I have talked to the Hampton Roads Mariners and I hope that I can try out.''
Tucker's career goals-against average through the Mary Washington game was 1.97. That left the Lancers at 5-5-1, 3-2-1 in the CVAC.
Craft, a Green Run graduate, wasn't always a goalkeeper. She started playing in her sophomore year at Green Run on the advice of a teammate.
``Whitney Cali (who now stars on the William and Mary women's team) sort of coerced me and convinced me to play, '' Craft said. ``I am the last line of defense on the field and I like being in the spotlight.''
Craft has shone brightly so far, allowing only 0.65 goals per game. She has helped lead the Lady Lancers, who are in their first year as a varsity team, to a 10-1-1 overall record and are 5-1-1 in the CVAC.
MONARCHS REPORT: Sophomore third baseman/pitcher Ron Walker has been invited to the 1995 USA Baseball Team tryouts in Homestead, Fla., Oct. 26-29. Walker, one of 66 players to be invited, will tryout as an infielder. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder from Indian Mills, N.J., was the 1995 CAA Rookie of the Year and was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He hit .314 with five homers and 47 RBIs. As a pitcher he was 6-5 and had a 3.15 earned-run average. The last Monarch to play on Team USA was Kevin Gibbs in 1994. Jeff Ware, now pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, played on the USA Pan American team in 1991. Todd Azar and Wiley Lee played for the 1986 U.S. squad. Paul Mitchell pitched for the 1971 USA Pan American team. . . . Senior Evangeline Callahan qualified for the ICYRA National Collegiate Women's Singlehanded sailing championships, to be held Oct. 20-22 in Portland, Ore., by placing third in the MAISA championships. Last year she finished fifth in the championships. . . . Amber Eller, a 5-8 sophomore guard on the Lady Monarchs basketball team, underwent surgery on her right knee to repair a chipped bone. She will be sidelined two to three months. The Fayetteville, N.C., native averaged 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game last year while playing in all 33 games.
SPARTANS REPORT: Holly Gray was named the CIAA volleyball player of the week. The 5-11 senior had 77 kills, 14 errors, 183 total attacks, 15 service aces and 25 digs. Her best performance came against Howard, when she had 17 kills, 30 total attacks, six digs and two service aces. . . . Freshman April Johnson was named CIAA volleyball newcomer of the week. She finished the week with 36 kills, 11 errors, 100 total attacks, five assists, 14 service aces and 11 assisted blocks. . . . Coach Wilhelmenia Wright-Harrison was named the CIAA coach of the week after directing her team to seven wins in the CIAA Round-Up.
ALUMNI REPORT: Norfolk Collegiate alumnus Bryan Jackson earned a spot on James Madison's 10-man golf squad with a score of 375 in a five-round qualifying tournament at the Country Club of Staunton in Staunton, Va. . . . Robert Leone (Cox), a sophomore on the Winthrop cross country team, finished sixth in the UNC-Wilmington 6K with a time of 18:04. He also finished second at the Winthrop Invitational 8K with a time of 25:54 and eighth at the UNC-Greensboro Invitational 8K with a time of 26:13. . . . Julie Miller (Salem), a freshman center midfielder for the UNC-Charlotte women's soccer team, scored the game-winning goal in the Lady 49ers' win over Davidson. . . . Christopher Newport's James Ratcliff (Western Branch) and Nicole Horn (Great Bridge) were named the Dixie Conference men's and women's cross country players of the week. Ratcliff, a junior, placed second at the Greensboro Pacesetters Invitational with an 8K time of 25:47. Horn, a senior, was the top Dixie Conference finisher at the Greensboro Pacesetters Invitational with a 32nd place finish. . . . Lori Clark (First Colonial) a sophomore midfielder for the Longwood field hockey team, was named the Longwood College women's player of the week. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Virginia Beach's Eryn Craft, top, and Taylor Tucker have made it
hard to score on Longwood's soccer teams this season.
by CNB