Story by JO2 Sean K. Gano
Tuesday, December 9, 1997
It may not have the international impact of the World Cup, but it does mean the world to the USS Carl Vinson United Varsity Soccer Team to play in the championship game of the SUBASE Bangor Captain�s Cup Soccer League.
The team will meet civilian rival Los Andes Imports for the title Saturday, Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. at the SUBASE Bangor Soccer Pitch. Carl Vinson finished the regular season with a league-best 9-1 record and a season-ending four-game winning streak, with one of those victories a 4-1 win over Los Andes.
United then went on to the military pool of the league playoffs, where the team went undefeated in round-robin play. Carl Vinson topped USS Camden (AOE-2), USS Ranier (AOE-7), USS Arkansas (CGN-41) and the SUBASE Bangor Marines to earn a spot in the title game against Los Andes, winner of the civilian pool playoffs.
United coach Lt. Cmdr. Paul LeBlanc, ship�s legal officer, said tough defense and consistent play of the entire team throughout the playoffs were key to earning the title shot and will be key to winning the title.
"We had to do a lot of shifting of players around due to people going on leave and being on duty, yet we�ve continued to play consistently strong," said the Boston native. "Our defense right now is really our strongest area of play. And it looks like a strong defense will be required to shut down Los Andes, which is a normally a very high-scoring team."
In the regular season match against Los Andes, LeBlanc said United�s style of play was essential to victory and will be used again in Saturday�s game.
"Los Andes is still the same team we played before, so I think our style of play from the first game will be the same way we play this game. We played a very controlled passing game, which is our style, and Los Andes wasn�t used to it," he explained. "We tired them out with our passing, and we were in better shape than they were. That�s just a matter of our hard practices over this past year.
"We�ve seen this team before. We�ve beat this team before, and we can definitely beat them again - if we play smart," LeBlanc said.
However, several uncontrollable factors also will have an affect on the game.
"The field we�ll be playing on is in very poor shape, but there�s not much we can do about that," LeBlanc said. "We�ve played on all sorts of different surfaces, including the hangar bay, so we�re used to being able to play in some pretty poor conditions.
"The weather could also be a big factor. It could be pouring rain or it could be sunny. You never really know up here (in Bremerton). The field itself, we�ve adjusted to. However, we do play a much better game on a regular grass field that isn�t so torn up." There�s also the fact that the ship is out to sea, which makes it difficult to prepare for a title game. But the team does what it can.
"Every night at 2000 we have conditioning practice in the hangar bay. Those who have other duties are required to condition on their own," LeBlanc said. "And then we�ve been reviewing game tapes of both Los Andes games and our games."
One thing that could help the team is support from crew members. LeBlanc said, "I would like to see, and I know all the players would like to see as many of their shipmates as possible out there to cheer them on. It�s an important game not only for the team because this will probably be our last real game until the spring, but it�s also an important game for the ship.
"If the soccer team wins the game on Saturday, the Carl Vinson wins the trophy. The ship will receive the trophy, not the team. We as a team win nothing except the excitement of winning the game. We will win it for Carl Vinson first and the team second."
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