I SPORTS
--
Getting Their
K 1 C
Bob Mc Keown
Southfield High soared to
its highest soccer finish,
thanks in part to an
international front line
Jason Goldsmith and Jason Dobrusin battle during practice.
Preparing for practice at Southfield High.
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Special to The Jewish News
S
outhfield High School enjoyed
the best soccer season in its
history this year, thanks to
a new head coach plus a melt-
ing-pot, triple-threat attack
from forwards Ya Mok, Jason
Goldsmith and Jamie Monreal.
Goldsmith, like teammate Lenny
Beigler, has been a part of the Detroit
Maccabi Club soccer program.
The high point of Southfield's
season came three weeks ago when
new coach Wally Barrett led the Blue
Jays against Barrett's alma mater,
Livonia Stevenson, in the state playoff
regional final. Stevenson, the two-
time defending state Class A cham-
pion, had not lost a game since the
1984 state finals, an unbeaten string
of 66 contests. But a late goal on a
penalty kick by Monreal ended that
streak, giving Southfield a 1-0 win.
The Blue Jays lost their state
semi-final match against East Lans-
ing in a heart-breaking 3-2 contest,
giving the team a final record of
17-3-1.
Barrett puts Southfield's season
in historical perspective. "Southfield
never won the Southeastern
Michigan Association league before.
We've never won the regionals before,
which we did this year. The furthest
Southfield ever advanced, I believe, is
when they won the district a couple
years ago . . ..Of course. They've never
played teams like (Redford) Catholic
Central or Stevenson, either. Those
had to be the two biggest games
Southfield has ever won." The Blue
Jays beat Catholic Central, 4-3, in the
second round of this year's state
tourney.
Barrett molded Southfield around
his talented trio of forwards. Mok, a
Cambodian who came to the U.S. in
1980, led the Jays and. the SMA in
scoring this season. Goldsmith, like
Mok a junior, is a Maccabi Club star
who also plays for Barrett in the sum-
mer on his Little Ceasar's Select
team. Monreal, a senior, is an ex-
change student from Spain.
The three players from different
nations blended well this season, with
Mok and Goldsmith leading the at-
tack. "The two of 'em together were
incredible," says Barrett. "Of course,
if it wasn't those two, it was Jamie
Monreal . . . It wasn't just all Ya.
Without those other two great for-
wards, they'd just cover Ya and I'd get
nowhere?'
Barrett, who considers Goldsmith
his protege since he works with Jason
for most of the calendar year, feels
that the Maccabi Club has been good
for Goldsmith and Beigler, a senior
who played the sweeper-fullback and
outside halfback positions for
Southfield. "I think the Maccabi Club
gave, particularly Lenny, a lot of
preparation." Barrett adds that
Goldsmith is developing "brilliantly,
coming around great."
Barrett played on the 1976 state
Class A championship soccer team at
Stevenson. He graduated in 1978,
then played two years at Schoolcraft
College, becoming a co-captain on a
team which reached the National
Junior College Athletic Association
national tournament twice. Barrett
completed his college studies at
Wayne State — which only fields a
club soccer team — earning a
teaching degree in physical education
and health. He is now a substitute
teacher in the Southfield school
district.
At the start of this high school
season Barrett, the new coach, was
unsure of how well his Blue Jay team
would perform. "They had to get us-
ed to a whole new style of coaching,
a whole new discipline in running," he
explains. "I worked 'em, worked 'em,
worked 'em. Ran 'em into the ground,
conditioned 'em. Primarily, I knew
that I had about 11 players and then
after that, I didn't have a whole lot of
extras, so I knew I had to get the 11
in shape."
Since the defensive talent was not
deep, Barrett designed a game plan
which stressed offense and ball con-
trol. "They played a very skilled soc-
cer game, very skilled, good ball-
passing, movement-soccer game. Con-
trary to the long-ball style a lot of the
other high school teams play . . . We
used a style that was the best for Ya
Mok, Jason Goldsmith and Jamie
(Monreal) . . . they just kept moving
all the time and passing. They're fast
and they're quick — they're not big —
so moving and passing is a lot better
than just kicking it down and runn-
ing after it."
Two weeks after taking charge of
the team, Barrett knew his Blue Jays
were going to be strong. "I told the
team," he recalls, "I told every one of
'em, that if they wanted to try hard
and play as hard as they could that
they could go all the way, November-