The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 39

mm -mt--m- W'" i'-. "jf pe- fjr w- Sunday. August 17, 1997 The Greenville News 9C Soccer Shamrocks stumble in opener of playoffs Powell ties Atler for overall crown By Marc Weiszer Staff Writer GREER The South Carolina Shamrocks and some of their most loyal fans endured heavy rains and a one hour, 20-minute lightning delay Saturday night The turn of events that followed were as unkind to them as the elements. "We sent guys out to do a particular job on man-toman marking and we just couldn't do it" Charlotte midfielder Joshua Far-rar put away Leo Flanagan, Shamrocks Coach VVJ:) 1 A 111 "-Xi, By John Mossman AP Sports Writer DENVER Through seven of the eight events spread over two days, 15-year-old Vanessa Atler performed with the unshakable poise of a veteran. Then she sneaked a forbidden peak at the scoreboard, got nervous and fell on her last apparatus and was forced to share the women's all-around title with Kristy Powell on Saturday night in the U.S.

Gymnastics Championships. Powell made up .65 points on the final routine to tie Atler. Powell, a native of River Forest, who trains in Cincinnati, and Atler, of Canyon Country, each finished with 74.612 points. Rules do not provide for a tiebreaker. i Mohini Bhardwaj of Cincinnati third at 74.212, followed by Kristen Maloney (73.862), Lindsay (73.712) and Jamie Dan-bscher (73.587).

i The U.S. competition is a qualifier for the world championships, 'with the top six finishers competing Aug. 31-Sept. 7 in Lausanne, Switzerland. It also determined the 20 members of the national team.

I Atler, however, doesn't meet a new age rule that requires competi-itors in the worlds to be at least 16 years old by the end of this year. Wing and Dantzscher also are too young. I As a result, the seventh-, ninth-place finishers move up, imeaning Jennie Thompson, Kendall Beck and Dominique Moceanu will join Powell, Bhardwaj and Maloney iat the worlds. Asked about the age rule, Atler Jsaid, "I think it's fair. It just ended up being bad for me.

I came in here knowing I couldn't go to the worlds. So I just wanted to do my new itricks and have fun. I wasn't trying to finish high." Powell, 17, was in second place, behind Atler, after Thursday's preliminaries, and maintained that position through the first three of Saturday's four events. Powell, scars still visible on her legs from surgery in May to relieve pressure on her calf muscles, scored a 9.3 on her final routine, the balance beam. Atler, leading by .65 points going into that event, then fell from the uneven bars and got an 8.65, producing the tie.

"I kept looking at the scoreboard," Atler said. "My coach (Steve Rybacki) tells me not to do that because I always get nervous. I guess I got scared. It got to me." Powell said she. has "waited my whole life for this, my whole career.

I've always wanted this. I've really been through a lot this year and overcame a lot." Moceanu, the only member of the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S. Olympic team still competing, was in danger of not making the world team. She ranked 12th after the prelims but moved into ninth after scoring a 9.325 on her first routine Saturday, the floor exercise. Moceanu, 15, of Houston had a bad landing on the uneven bars, scoring an 8.85, but she recovered on her last event, the beam, getting 9.375.

"I knew I needed to have a good night," Moceanu said. "Even with my mistake on the bars, I still pulled through. I think this is going to be a strong team at the worlds." Atler, who doesn't turn 16 until Feb. 17, has been dominant in junior competition the last two years and was the 1996 junior national champion. Considered the top up-and-coming American female gymnast and a likely medal contender in the 2000 Olympics, she showed why throughout this competition.

Atler began the night with a slender lead of one-tenth of a point over a header with 12:25 to play for the game-winning goal as the Eagles came back to score twice in the final 25 minutes and end the Shamrocks' season with a 3-2 first-round playoff loss at Shamrocks Field. "We sent guys out to do a particular job on man-to-man marking and we just couldn't do it," Shamrocks coach Leo Flanagan said. "It was our defense and their offense, and we just couldn't do it." The Eagles, who trailed 2-1 after Nate Ormondt's penalty kick goal with less than 40 minutes to play, advanced to a second-round game Friday night at Myrtle Beach in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues Division 3 playoffs. Charlotte improved to 17-7. South Carolina finished 18-6.

The final score came off a throw-in to the left of the Shamrocks' goal. Midfielder Steve Mott's long toss came to forward Keith Dakin a few yards from the endline. Dakin headed the ball across the goal box and Farrar finished it off in front. "It was a play we worked on for a long time," said Farrar, who played at the College of Charleston. "It was a simple long throw from Motty, and Keith read it and flicked it on with his head and it was an easy goal for me.

It was just a tuck away." ED ANDRIESKI The Associated Press About 100 or so fans of an esti-1 mated 1,700 stuck around, through the rains to watch the; second half after the delay. Shamrocks fullback Shane; Stamps said the waterlogged field; may have contributed to the de-; fensive breakdown on the clinching goal. it "I think people were in the right place, but sometimes two or three inches makes all the said Stamps. "With the field being; wet like it was, (defender) Chris, Behrmann went to win the ball; and thought he could win it, and; the guy (Dakin) got a little push on him and he slid an inch or two and he flicked it across the goal." 1 Charlotte, which won its third game in four meetings against the Shamrocks, had tied the game at' 2-2 on a goal from John Clare off a corner kick with less than 25 min-; utestoplay. South Carolina's David McMa-; hon found the net off a free kick, from 30 yards out for a 1-0 Sham-; rocks' lead in the game's fifth-minute.

Charlotte's Jeremy Sorzanxr knotted it up with a goal six min- utes before the half. Mind over matter: Kristy Powell maintains her balance Saturday as she competes on the beam at the finals of the U.S. Gymnastic Championship in Denver. Powell scored a perfect 10 in the event. the vault, while Maloney fell on the uneven bars and had an 8.35.

Atler performed two powerful, precise vaults for an average of 9.575,. just after Powell, who competed in the 1996 world championships, scored a 9.55 on the uneven bars, leaving Atler's lead at .65 points. It was the first tie for the women's all-around at the nationals since 1972, when Joan Moore and Cathy Rigby were co-champions. Powell (37.187-37.087). She scored a 9.55 on her first apparatus, the balance beam, while Powell had a 9.3 on the floor exercise.

Then Atler had a 9.65 on the floor compared to Powell's 9.375 average on two vaults. That boosted Atler's lead to six-tenths of a point. Bhardwaj moved from fourth place after the prelims to third, past Maloney, when Bhaidwaj scored a 9.375 on her first event, Hall enshrinement lets players relieve glory Win me Tm ebJaiiintion! ritt, Army; Bob Pellegrini; Maryland; Pat Richter, Wisconsin; Jerry Robinson, UCLA; James Saxton, Tex-as; Jerry Tubbs, Oklahoma; Charles White, Southern-California; Marc Wilson," Bngham Young; and coach Red Sanders, Vanderbilt and UCLA. Inductees from the divisional class were: Joe Cichy, North Dakota State; Joe Oelaney, Northwestern State; Fred Dryer, San Diego State; Joe Dudek, Plymouth State; William Grinnell, Tufts; Frank Hawkins, Nevada; Pierce Holt, Angelo State; Gary Johnson. Grambling; Ken O'Brien, Cal-Da-vis; Bruce Taylor, Boston; Lynn Thomsen, Augustana; coach Jim Butterfield, Ithaca; and coach Paul Hoerne-mann.

Heidelberg. 'The Associated Press i SOUTH BEND, Ind. The Dame coaches took one look at John Michels 48 years ago and 'sent him back home. Too small to iplay college football, they said. Michels was back in South Bend ion Saturday, this time to take his place in the College Football Hall of Fame.

"It's ironic and satisfying that I'm here today," said Michels, an Ail-American offensive guard at Tennessee and member of the 1951 national champions. "Thank God I didn't listen to (the Notre Dame coaches) and neither did Tennessee," he said. "This is the zenith of my career." The other inductees were: Bob Ferguson, Ohio State; Hugh Green, Pittsburgh; Frank Mer- from ilhciDrcmtnllcNcuw THI IIUNII4 OF 1 1 ts. i f-" yK'" It GQ( Win tickets to the Historic Darlington Labor Day Weekend, August 29-31, 1997 GRAND PRIZE ONE WINNER Receive VIP pass for the Dura-Lube 200 Race, Saturday, August 30, which allows you to: Tour the pits and meet NASCAR celebrities Receive Darlington Raceway logo items Receive two tickets for Saturday, August 30's Dura-Lube 200 watch the race from Tyler Tower! Receive two tickets for Sunday, August 31's Mountain Dew Southern 500 watch the race from Tyler Tower! Receive two Legends of Darlington Collectible tickets featuring Terry Labonte for NASCAR Cafe Pole Day, Friday, August 29. SECOND PLACE THREE WINNERS Receive two tickets for Saturday, August 30's Dura-Lube 200 watch the race from Tyler Tower! Receive two tickets for Sunday, August 31s Mountain Dew Southern 500 watch the race from Tyler Tower! Receive two Legends of Darlington Collectible tickets featuring Terry Labonte for NASCAR Cafe Pole Day, Friday, August 29, THIRD PLACE 10 WINNERS Receive two tickets for Saturday, August 30's Dura-Lube 200 Greenville Tech has revised several business programs to train you in areas cf TOSKA3SUTO' specialization where the changing world of easiness has created new demands.

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