Victory for the HEAT!

A shortened version of the following article appeared in the Rocky Mount Telegram on Sunday, Christmas Day 2005.    For Photos see the Gallery

The Rocky Mount HEAT U12 Girls Soccer Team ends the fall season as both the undefeated Challenge Champions of the Down East Soccer League and Tournament Champions of the Down East Shootout Tournament held at Wilson Gillette Fields. The final season record for the team stands undefeated at 12-0-0 with a scoring deferential of 67-6.

The Down East Shootout featured some 35 challenge teams from the entire Eastern quadrant of North Carolina November 11 & 12.  The HEAT played four games to win the Championship, beating the New Bern Bears 4-0. The WYSA White provided the most aggressive opposition scoring the only two goals on the HEAT to end a six game shutout streak.  The HEAT did not fail to answer and the final score stood 5-2.   The Washington Riptides were the last opponent of three for a long Saturday.  The HEAT won that game 6-0.  Sunday brought the Championship game against the PGSA Green.  Rocky Mount HEAT defense allowed no scoring to take the trophy home with a decisive 5-0 margin.

There were no less than ten players with credit for personal goal or a direct scoring assists in this tournament.  Leading the statistics for the tournament are Forwards Claire Fleming with 5 goals and Megan Shearin with three personal goals and three direct assists.  Midfielder Marissa Ramey scored three goals and had two assists. Center Mid Kasey Cooke, who holds the HEAT team scoring/assist record for the season, contributed two goals and two assists.  Holly Fryer is credited with three goals while Brittany Kropp has two powerful goals and three assists.  Miller Clark and Kylie Westcott both added fine scores to the final tally. Finishing out the offense' record with those critical scoring assists are Hannah Brock and Ally Glover, normally the HEAT keeper.

Balance those statistics with a rock solid defense that only allowed ten serious goalie challenges for Keeper Glover for the entire four game series.  HEAT repossessed the ball with impunity to feed back to the offense.  Samantha Hencke, Morgan Lewis, and Alex Thompson are credited with important turns of possession in 1v1 contests and fine hustle.   Kudos for Defender Theresa Hall who dropped back for a critical save in the box. In addition to their normal duties, Defenders Clark and Hencke booted long, powerful shots on goal making opponents scramble to cover the field.  The entire team played.  The entire team takes credit for the win.

The team lead by Tory Lukasina, also Head Coach of the NC Wesleyan Lady Bishops, and assisted by Brent Watkins, pulls talented players from a fifty mile wide area to play and practice out of Rocky Mount for one of the few professionally coached teams in Eastern North Carolina.  The Spring 06 season will include an increased level of tournaments and classic league play.  Information on the Rocky Mount HEAT can be found at www.RockyMountHEAT.com. 

***

Down East Tournament Statistics