THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605070128
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
MAURY HIGH'S Katie Roman had no clue she was marking a national player during a weekend tournament of select soccer last fall in Washington.
All she knew was that she wanted to play well in front of a familiar coach she spotted sitting at the endline.
But another coach was watching, too, and was impressed. George Washington University women's soccer coach Shannon Cirovski decided that day she wanted Roman to be part of her Colonials team that was losing all of its best defenders.
``She didn't look like somebody who was scared,'' Cirovski said. ``She's tough. Tenaciousness, pride. I saw that in her.''
Roman hadn't even considered GWU before that weekend, but afterward it only made sense. Although she had been accepted to Princeton, her fascination with Russian history piqued her interest in international studies, and going to college in the nation's capital would be ideal.
``I took my visit and fell in love with the place,'' said Roman, whose other love is soccer - defensive soccer for the third-ranked Commodores, who look primed for another Eastern District crown.
Roman, who started playing at age 5, always considered herself a forward until high school. ``When I wasn't playing well, defense used to be my punishment,'' she said.
But when the Maury sweeper came down with a case of chicken pox on the day of the Commodores' game with Norfolk Academy, Roman, then a sophomore, was shuffled to that spot, and she's favored defense ever since.
``Defensively I'm more on fire, more driven,'' she said. ``My father played midfield in high school, and he was always more of a passer. I think I inherited some of that because I'm not goal hungry.''
If putting the ball in the net doesn't inspire Roman, shutting down opponents does. If she sees a player hesitate in her decisions, Roman knows she's gained the edge in the mental battle. Against Kempsville, Roman marked leading scorer Lauren Rafal, a player she credits with a great first touch.
``It was the best thing to watch Lauren get frustrated,'' Roman said. ``She wouldn't take me on, and the coach yelled at her. That's the best thing in the world.''
Roman's passion for soccer comes from Maury assistant coach Vybert Silcott, who also coached her select team, Beach FC. As a sophomore, she sharpened her skills by working with him, one-on-one, every night.
``You can call him two hours before you want to work, and he'll work with you,'' she said. ``It was so much fun. It was hard work, but you enjoyed it because you were getting so much better.''
Roman isn't too shabby at field hockey, either, a sport she tried initially because of sibling rivalry with her older sister, Sally. A right wing for Maury, Roman vividly recalls scoring an overtime goal her junior year to help the Commodores advance in the Tabb Tournament.
``I ran into my sister's arms and gave her a hug,'' she said. ``If I hadn't been so passionate about soccer, I might have ended up playing field hockey in college. But there's too much soccer passion for hockey to overcome.''
This summer there will be more soccer before she packs her bags for D.C. She's on the Olympic Development U-19 squad, and she'll be playing for the Piranhas, Hampton Roads' women's team.
For now though, she'd like to see Maury do well in the postseason.
``Winning a regional game, that would be nice,'' she said. ``My freshman year we should have won, but we missed the PK. We've come close every year, we just haven't done it yet.'' ILLUSTRATION: GIRLS SOCCER
Staff photo by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
Maury's Katie Roman will attend George Washington University in the
fall and play soccer.
by CNB