Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 21

Spcrts Monday, March 24, 1997 C3 Lone Stars battle the foi Austin American-Statesman gboys i 1 3i: pleased with his play, saying, "Aaron Humphrey, right now, is the only (linebacker) I feel is game-ready." Halfbacks Ricky Williams and Jeff Clayton did not scrimmage because both are resting stress fractures in their shin-bones. Neither injury is expected to have any lasting effects. End Will Goodloe has bulked up to 275 pounds, but will play at about 265 in the fall, Wright said. He had a sack on the first series. Dustin Armstrong stretched for a sideline catch for the play of the day, but Mackovic said.

the team's younger receivers have a great deal of work ahead. "The people who play at wide receiver are the ones who'll put in the extra time," he said. "The ones who think they can get by with the minimum of work will be sitting on the bench." Quarterback James Brown played only one series but showed poise and threw the ball accurately. Mackovic praised Gerrod Coleman on offense and Wright liked the play of Damon Luckett and Chris Smith, who worked with the second unit against the first-team offense, and starting cornerback Quinton Wallace and safety Donald McCowen. Outside linebacker Jake Hammer played weak-side defensive end in the scrimmage.

ByMarkWangrin American-Statesman Staff Texas defensive coordinator Bobby Jatk Wright said he was encouraged but not satisfied with his unit's play in the first spring scrimmage in their newly installed aggressive 4-3 defensive set "It was" a decent first day," he said. "We want to drive to the level of a top 30 defense, which means we have to make a heck of a lot of improvement" hi scrimmage work pitting the first units against the second teams, the starting defense was strong against the run and was able to rebound from the one big play it did give up, a long pass from Marty Cherry to Bryan White on a six-man blitz. "Defensively, I told our team that I don't know if anyone has a job locked up," Coach John Mack-ovic said. "We have to see who comes to the forefront. I won't make any assessment at this point because it wouldn't be fair, but we'll continue to push them.

"We're learning, but there's still so much to do. We could probably use 40-50 (spring) practices. We're doing so much differently." Highlights and notes from the scrimmage: Aaron Humphrey played weak-side outside linebacker, with Dusty Renfro in the middle, although they'll be flip-flopped in later scrimmages. Wright was New Austin soccer pros test Dallas Burn in 1-0 exhibition loss before 3,500 fans By Eric Vormelker American-Statesman Correspondent The Austin Lone Stars demonstrated to a crowd of 3,500 their readiness for professional status by giving the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer a test in a 1-0 Dallas exhibition win at House Park Field on Sunday afternoon. The game was filled with the marks of preseason: missed passes, poor communication and tired legs.

But the Lone Stars persevered through it all, including numerous substitutions, and gave their fans a number of exciting moments. "It was a pretty good show, especially for us," Austin Coach Wolfgang Suhnholz said. "If we put a couple of the chances we had early, well, it'd be another game. "We're about 80 percent game-fit. Next two, three weeks, we'll be there." The deciding goal was a fluky, through-the-legs deflection by Burn forward Gerrell Elliott just two minutes into the second halt.

Some loose defending by the Lope Stars allowed Elliott to run free into the box. He flicked a seemingly harmless pass from forward Peter Hattrup between his legs. It caromed off Austin goalkeeper Robert Weaver's outstretched leg and bounced in. From that point on, the Lone Stars were under constant pressure and had to resort to counterattacks, but those usually resulted in errant passes or blocks by Burn defenders. Until Austin's Gabe Jones entered the game.

Jones, fighting "We started out strong. We got a lift from the home support Not bad for a first Austin goalie Robert Weaver an illness, couldn't resist a chance to play against the Burn, with whom he trained during the past Major League Soccer preseason. His added spark and solid passing with Chris Veselka gave the Lone Stars two good opportunities in the last 10 minutes. Their teamwork was able to dent the Burn defense, but they couldn't get the ball past Dallas goalkeeper Mark Dodd. Cacho Cordoba, an assistant coach for the Burn, which plays in a league effectively two levels above the Lone Stars, was not happy.

"It was not a great game," he said. "The field was small and bumpy and the ball was hard to control. "But the fans left the field happy." In.the first half, after back-and-forth play through the first 15 minutes, Veselka found himself one-on-one with Dodd at close range, but the Burn goalie smothered Veselka's shot Just two minutes later, Ker-win Johnson, last year's top scorer for Austin, took a breakaway from just inside midfield and narrowly missed a shot, smacking it off the right side of the netting. At 25 minutes, a high looping cross from the left side was tapped just enough by Dodd to tfi fc' vx fS Larry KolvoortVAA-S Darin Talley of the Austin Lone Stars gets his head on the ball before two players from Major League Soccer's Dallas, Burn can react. the ball was calmly collected by Hattrup a yard in front of the goal and cleared out.

"We started out strong," Weaver said. "We got a lift from the home support put it over- the head of Steve Bailey. And three minutes later, Lone Stars midfielder Jo Jo Flemis-ter's hard work down the left side managed to beat Dodd, but ome edge cuts U.S. soccer team Pogue, Bockus win team roping event of the money. Also on the final day, Stormy Pruitt and Gary Sutton's 5.2 run snatched the second go-round money of $2,676, also knocking out the Williams-Cooper time of 5.7.

Lee Akin's 81 held up in the bull riding for eight performances and he pulled in the biggest single paycheck of the week, earning the Weatherford, cowboy $6,536 for one ride. Ken Lensegrav, the No. 4 bareback rider in the world, Won for the second week in a row after taking the title at the Houston Livestock Show. Lensegrav, who totaled 155 on two rides to win $3,584, said, "I tell you, I've had some great Marches." Denny McLahahan, who had won for two straight years in Austin had his streak stopped by Lensegrav and had to settle for sixth place in the second go-round. Kendall Bolding of Yukon, turned in a combined time of 8.3 to win the steer wrestling, and $4,507.

Doug Staton of Bastrop won $1,370 for third place in the second go-round. In the saddle bronc, Morse's Justin Lane combined for a pair of 79 rides for a total score of 158 for the title and $4,508. He edged out circuit rookie Ron Hogin of Bon Aqua, who captured the second go-round with a rodeo-high 84 and posted a 154 total "I've been getting some great horses," said Hogin, who won $2,562 this week. "And that's what it takes at this level. I got a good bucking horse.

She was really putting on some moves." Lane and Hogin outdueled defending worm champion and current rankings leader Billy Etbauer, who had to settle for sixth. Duncan, Kurt Goulding was the calf roping champion by combining times of 17.4 that earned him $3,175. Kenna Boultinghouse placed third in the first go-round and seventh in the second to win the barrel racing title with a combined time of 29.08. Boultinghouse, from Cherokee, pocketed $2,699 and beat out Amanda Barrett by two-one hundredths of a second. By Bill Martin American-Statesman Correspondent Team ropers provided the only drama on the final day of the 59th annual Austin-Travis County Livestock Show and Rodeo as a couple of upstarts propelled themselves into the top spot in front of 4,000 fans at the Travis County Expo Center.

While the top-ranked team of Speed Williams and Clay O'Brien Cooper had been firm-jly entrenched at the top of the team roping standings for most of the rodeo's run, a pair of Oklahoma cowboys, Charles Pogue and Britt Bockus, used a clocking of 6.0 to steal away the average money from Williams and Cooper. Pogue, who was third in the world last year, and his new partner Bockus totaled 11.2 and won $5,352 on two goes to edge Williams and Cooper's 11.7. The team roping field, which is usually the most hotly contested, on Sunday included three-time world champions Tee Woolman and Rick Skelton of Llano, who did not place in any 1 i Ml By Bob Ford The Philadelphia Inquirer SAN JOSE, Costa Rica The soccer field at Ricardo Saprissa Stadium tilts slightly to the south, according to the locals, toward the goal where the section of wildest fans "La Ultra" dispenses confetti, song and intensely personal comments about the opposition. The field certainly tilted against the United States on Sunday. Late in the game, Costa Rica scored a sloppy but deciding goal to capture a wildly entertaining World Cup qualifying win, 3-2.

The throng of fans in the sunbaked south stands roared and showered the goal with a blizzard of paper when Ronald Gomez got just enough foot on a ball in the penalty area in the 76th minute, sneaking a dribbling shot into an untended U.S. goal. "You score two goals on the road and you should be able to come back with at least a tie," said defender Alexi Lalas. But having come back twice from one-goal deficits, the U.S. team couldn't button down the explosive Costa Rican attack and es Stars extend unbeaten streak to cape with a draw.

After three games of the iQ-match final World Cup qualifying round, the United States is 1-1-1 and despite Sunday's loss still on track to advance to France '98 along with Mexico and Costa Rica from this region. Jamaica, El Salvador and Canada are, unless some dramatic change takes place, just along for the ride. Both U.S. losses in Cup qualifying have come in Costa Rica and before some of the most vociferous fans in the Americas. Sunday, however, the Costa Rican fans were on their best behavior, such as it was.

Security was tightened after U.S. complaints about the December qualifier during which coins, batteries and bags of liquid were flung toward U.S. players. In contrast to that game, when police stepped aside to afford the throwers better aim, the stands were patrolled carefully Sunday by scores of heavily armed security forces, some with guard dogs. Outside Saprissa, where police worked the street on horseback, each fan was searched upon entry, and possible projectiles were confiscated.

WIT Umbo It Dallas Coach Ken Hitchcock credited defense and the play of his special teams. "Defensively, we played a really strong game," he said. "I don't think either team's power play was effective, and our penalty killing was more effective than their power play." The Stars' Arturs Irbe, who has played the last six games in goal because of an injury to Andy, Moog, stopped 21 shots. Irbe's goals-against average during that span is 1.76. Modano's goal was his 32nd of the season and fifth short-handed.

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LOUIS Mike Modano's shorthanded work helped the Dallas Stars extend their longest unbeaten streak this season. Modano had a goal and an assist while his team was killing penalties Sunday as Dallas beat the St Louis Blues 4-1 on Sunday. Jere Lehtinen scored twice for the Stars, whose eight-game unbeaten streak is the club's longest since 1993-94 when they were unbeaten in 11 straight Dallas is 21-12-3 on the road, third best in the NHL. not jsc or MTUXEDCS BRIDAL TAStllCNS 1937 Prom Specials Before April 15th 15 off any Prom Dress (In Mock of spMM otd) Before April 15th 15.00 off Tuxedo Rental of your ehotc (prlcM rang from $39 10 90 brfor. dtacounf) 8403 Research Lake Creek Festival ft Lunar i ONan rniiniuucmtrnr).

837-5166 331-8223 Landscaping! WITH INSTALLATION OF SPRINKLER SYSTEM QUALITY WORK AFFORDABLE RATES OFFER GOOD IF BOOKED BEFORE APRIL 151 CALL TODAY FOR FREE CONSULTATION 8 games on, our penalty-killing was really good. We were able to take advantage of guys who were back on the point." Hull extended his scoring streak to 12 games with an assist on Robert Petrovicky's goal St Louis feU. to seventh place in the Western Conference standings, and is only one point ahead of both Calgary and Chicago. The game was tied 1-1 before the Stars scored three times in the final period. Lehtinen scored at 2:04 of the third, when the Stars were short-handed.

3 time enrol, mertt tee reqwrea. 1U em-o pm. i M. df fj "fir 1" '-Jill. -J 1 HcS of KEYECSS 42 SeccrC Wcai, 630 CALL 445-1393' Dallas is 33-6-5 when Modano scores a point Dave Reid scored the Stars' other goal.

Trailing 1-0 in the third period, the Stars were attempting to kill a power play when they got the tying goal. Brett Hull, playing the point on the St Louis power play, tried to keep a Chris Pronger pass in the zone. The puck skipped past him to Craig Ludwig, who sent Modano in alone on the right wing, and Modano beat Grant Fuhr between the pads. "That kind of got the ball roll-ing," Modano said. "From then 21 "v'vw.

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