DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709120228

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 16   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  169 lines

KEMPSVILLE IS STATE CHAMP, BUT COX IS STILL THE FAVORITE

PICKING KEMPSVILLE as the favorite to take the Beach District field hockey title would be the natural thing to do.

Probably not the wisest, though.

Grounds for picking the Chiefs are many, especially given the fact that the team captured the the Group AAA state championship last year - ending Cox's string of 68 victories and seven-straight state titles.

But that was only one game. Cox beat Kempsville three times last year and the title game had to go all the way to reduced-player, sudden-victory overtime.

So let's try this. Call Kempsville one of the top contenders for this year's title because it is the defending state champ.

But expect the Falcons to be the team to beat.

Here's why.

Kempsvillle lost many of its key players, including leading scorer Laura Steadman and Lauren Rafal - a three-year keeper who might just have been the main reason the Chiefs won the title. She made some of the most incredible saves against Cox in the title game, continually giving her team the chance to score one to win it.

While Cox also lost several players, it returns keeper Kiernan Raffo - an equally outstanding goalie.

And Cox is simply a field hockey factory. Since 1990, it has won 126 games and a national-record seven-straight state titles, while dropping only two contests. Both of those losses came in overtime - one on penalty strokes and the other last year.

Winning one game against Cox, even though it was for the state title, is still not enough to take away the team's claim as the best program in the state.

While Cox is the favorite, things will be interesting this year.

A rules change has eliminated offsides calls, making it easier for teams with fast forwards to break behind the defense for one-on-one situations. And many Beach teams have the caliber of players to use the change to their advantage. Teams without keepers like Raffo could be in real trouble.

Following is a look at Beach District field hockey teams:

BAYSIDE

Coach: Kathy Mustain (third year)

Last year's record: 10-5

Key performers: Danielle Callender, Sr., midfielder; Julie Reaves, Sr., sweeper; Jamie Wallace, Jr., forward; Cindy Wright, Jr., keeper; Crystam James, Jr., back; Christina Gonzalez, Jr., midfielder

Outlook: An all-district first-team selection last year, Callender is the leading returning scorer for the Marlins with nine goals and three assists. Wallace had four goals and three assists. Wright recorded 76 saves. But Bayside is young with only five returning players. Even so, expect a strong campaign.

COX

Coach: Nancy Fowlkes (26th year)

Last year's record: 21-1

Key performers: Katie Kubic, Sr., midfielder; Taylor Rountree, Sr., midfielder; Alex Wise, Sr., halfback; Kiernan Raffo, Sr., keeper; Caroline Weirich, Sr., forward; Kristen Southerland, Jr., midfielder

Outlook: The names might not be as recognizable, but the style and level of play will be. There will be seven seniors on the team, but only four were starters a year ago. Kubic is the leading returning scorer with 14 goals and six assists. Falcons have the top returning keeper in Raffo, who allowed only three goals all season in recording 17 shutouts in a row - good enough for a tie for third in the national record books. And Fowlkes is the winningest coach in state history with 310 victories.

FIRST COLONIAL

Coach: Susan Callahan (second year)

Last year's record: 7-5

Key performers: Lisa Gigilotti, Sr., midfielder; Graham Strickler, Sr., forward; Melissa Macomber, Jr., forward; Jamie Collins, Jr., back; Janie Larned, Fr., forward

Outlook: Lots of senior leadership (six starters) lost to graduation, making this a young team looking for guidance. Squad has one of the best players to ever come out of the Beach as their coach, so they know how to play field hockey.

GREEN RUN

Coach: Bonnie Courtney (third year)

Last year's record: 2-12-2

Key performers: Anna Parks, Sr., midfielder; Gayle Powers, Sr., fullback; Shellie Hazuda, Sr., forward; Brenna Ashton, Jr., foward; Sarah Higgins, Jr., forward; Courtney Turner, So., forward; Nicole Doyle, Jr., fullback; Sandra Schweichler, So., keeper

Outlook: With seven starters returning, there should be some improvement. Defense is stronger, but offense will need to step up and score some goals, as games are expected to feature higher scoring this fall.

KELLAM

Coach: Holly Richbourg (fifth year)

Last year's record: 6-7-3

Key performers: Jodi Cirillo, Sr., fullback; Elizabeth Evans, Jr., halfback; Wendy Garrett, Sr., forward; Kim Hovck, Jr., forward; Jennifer Howard, Jr., halfback; Andrea Julin, Sr., halfback/fullback; Amanda Snow, Sr., midfielder

Outlook: Evans was the only Beach player on the gold medal-winning Junior Olympics team and joins Howard on the Beach's squad that will appear in November's National Hockey Festival. Knights are expected to be another team in the fight.

KEMPSVILLE

Coach: Sarah Taylor (seventh year)

Last year's record: 17-3-1

Key performers: Amanda Nichols, Sr., back; Maria Sciortino, Sr., forward; Bethany Crofford, Sr., back; Holly Griffin, Sr., sweeper; Meredith Lowrance, Jr., midfielder; Katie Johnson, Jr., forward; Mia Capps, Jr., forward; Beth Tinkle, Sr., keeper.

Outlook: Tinkle is untested and has big shoes to fill. All-stater Lauren Rafal was a huge key to the Chiefs success last year. Nichols will be a big help in front of Tinkle, having recorded nine defensive saves last year. Lowrance only scored one goal, but it was the one that gave Kempsville the state title. Sciortino, Johnson and Capps are probably the biggest scoring threats

and expect each to take advantage of the new offsides rule. Nichols, Crofford and Lowrance will play on the local team in the Hockey Festival.

OCEAN LAKES

Coach: Yogi Boothe (fifth year)

Last year's record: 5-11

Key performers: Stacey Tsougas, So., forward; Tracy Moody, Jr., forward; Nicole Sullivan, So., back; Kisha Thomas, Sr., midfielder; Christina Worrell, Jr., back; Courtney Esinhart, Jr., back; Alison Kinsler, Sr., sweeper; Elizabeth Wishart, Jr., keeper.

Outlook: The Dolphins have stepped up to the next level according to Boothe, a former Olympian, thanks to eight returning starters. Wishart could be tough to score on, as she averaged 20 saves a game as a JV keeper. Moody is the leading returning scorer with six goals, while Tsougas had five.

PRINCESS ANNE

Coach: Denise O'Connell (fifth year)

Last year's record: 10-5-1

Key performers: Dana Weaver, Jr., forward; Sharon Hay, Jr., forward; Krista Elmore, Sr., midfielder; Julie Brindley, Sr., defender; Mary Claypool, Jr., defender; Sharon Blyth, Jr., keeper

Outlook: The Cavaliers were unbeaten in the Salem tournament, but finished second on total points scored. Even so, it showed that the team will be in the hunt this season despite having only two seniors.

SALEM

Coach: Sally Scarborough (seventh year)

Last year's record: 6-8-2

key performers: Lauren Sparrow, Sr., forward; Page McGranahan, Sr., forward; Katie Moyer, Sr., midfielder; Beth Maddox, So., midfielder, Emily Smith, So., defender; Crystal Cox, Jr., forward; Laura Eastman, Sr., defender

Outlook: Sparrow, McGranahan and Moyer were all All-Beach honorable mention last year and showed scoring punch in last weekend's Sun Devils Invitational. Sparrow is a speedster and a big threat with the no-offsides rule. Salem lost six games in overtime last year.

TALLWOOD

Coach: Hollie Jones (first year)

Last year's record: 11-5

Key performers: Josie Mahon, Sr., halfback; Susie Williams, Sr., link; Allison Laz, Sr., keeper; Stephanie Kinstler, Sr., link; Ashley Karr, Sr., wing; Vicki Hancock, Sr., halfback; Natalie Garrett, Jr., wing; Ann Ekberg, Jr., forward; Ezra Arao, Sr., sweeper; Marilyn Batan, So., midfielder

Outlook: A second-team All-Beach selection, Ekberg is the leading returner on a team that has but only a handful of experienced players. Even so, coaches have pegged the Lions as a contender. ILLUSTRATION: File photo by L. TODD SPENCER

In last year's state championship, Katie Kubic of Cox, left, tries

to block Kempsville's Laura Steadman. Kubic is back, but Steadman

graduated. KEYWORDS: BEACH DISTRICT FIELD HOCKEY PREVIEW

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