April, 197C, Crossroads, Pago 12 i
Mi
14 Indoor Soccer
Abbey Gains Crown
at Warren Wilson
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1976 Rugby Team
Rugby is Here to Stay
For decades
Americans have looked
upon the game of rugby
as a form of self-torture
that only crazy fools like
the British could be in
terested in. After all,
what type of normal
intelligent human being
would become involved in
this unearthly mixture of
soccer and football?
Recently, forty Abbey
students have decided to
answer that question.
Not only has it proven to
be an interesting ex
perience, but it appears
that this wild English
sport is here to stay on
the Abbey campus.
Last semester Norman
Berube, Kevin Farrell,
and Bob Delaney got
together and decided
they wanted to play
rugby. Berube was the
only experienced player,
having learned the game
at McLean High School in
McLean, Virginia. The
three of them came
across Jeff Gueller of
Gastonia, he had learned
the game in Africa,
played for one of the local
Charlotte clubs, but had
to quit because of bad
knees. He agreed tc;
volunteer his time as
coach, eventually he
would even start to play
again, bad knees and all.
From there on the club
has had pretty smooth
sailing.
Forty players
originally signed up to
play. All members will
play and there will be no
cuts from the squad. It
took a number of practice
sessions on the soccer
field to indoctrinate the
guys into the rules and
strategies of the game.
The club is open to all
Belmont Abbey students
and alumni. Because the
group gets no funding
from the school and is a
private club, all of the
revenue must come from
^he members. The cost to
each individual is 5
dollars for dues and 15
dollars for the colorful
orange and red jerseys.
Besides a lack of ex
ternal funding, the only
other problem that has
arisen is that our club
cannot schedule a home
game.
The soccer field can’t
be used because the goal
post for the rugby team
can’t be put in. The only
other capable area that
the club has discovered is
the fenced in baseball
field. However, a local
high school team has
been given priority over
the college kids because
they rent out the field for
their home games.
Once these difficulties
are straightened out the
club will definitely prove
to be a great asset to the
campus and the com
munity. There is one
thing for sure, it will be a
long time before this club
fizzles out.
Belmont Abbey’s
soccer team, playing in
five consecutive matches
on Sunday, February
17th, swept through the
loser’s bracket to capture
the championship of the
Warren Wilson College
Indoor Soccer games.
On Friday’s opening
day matches, Belmont
Abbey managed to ad
vance via a 4-1 win over
the Hot Spurs of Atlanta.
Mosadak Soussi scored
“two goals for the
Crusaders to lead the
way. Belgassem Soussi
and Ernesto DeLima
each added goals in that
win, also.
Belmont Abbey gained
a bit of revenge Saturday
when they trounced
Pfeiffer, 8-3. Pfeiffer had
earlier defeated Belmont
Abbey in the NAIA
District 26 championship
match and halted the
Crusaders’ string of
District 26 titles at nine
straight. Belgassem
Soussi scored six goals in
that match, while Moore
Asouzu and Bandar
Rashid each added goals.
Belmont Abbey also
defeated Erskine
Saturday, 4-2, as Bandar
Rashid, Mosadak Soussi,
Belgassem Soussi and
Moore Asouzu scored one
goal a piece for the
Crusaders.
Belmont Abbey was
thrown into the loser’s
bracket Sunday morning
when the Old Timers, a
team made up of former
collegiate and
professional stars now in
the coaching ranks, shut
out the Crusaders, 2-0.
The Crusaders then
began their marathon
run at the championship,
whipping host Warren
Wilson, 6-2; Alderson
Broadus, 4-2; and Chapel
Hill, 5-3, in setting up the
stage for a final two-
game showdown with the
Old Timers.
Playing in do-or-die
situations both times,
Belmont Abbey defeated
the Old Timers, 3-1, and
3-2, as brothers
Belgassem and Fikri
Soussi did all the scoring
with Belgassem scoring
two goals in each game
and Fikri, the other pair.
Belgassem, Mosadak
Soussi Brothers Named A.ll-A.mericBn
It was recently an
nounced that brothers
Belgassem and Mosadak
Soussi have been named
to the National
Association of In
tercollegiate Athletics
1975 All-America soccer
squad.
Both had been
previously named, for the
third time, to the NAIA
All-District 26 and All-
South squads.
The duo has been in
strumental in leading
Belmont Abbey to two
District championships
during the previous three
years as well as ad
vancing to the finals of
the regionals during 1973
and 1974. Belmont Abbey
was upset in this year’s
District championship
finals by Pfeiffer, 2-1 in
overtime, breaking an
eight-year District
championship winning
streak.
Belgassem Soussi
became Belmont Abbey’s
career scoring leader
with 54 goals following
his sophomore season
and his current total now
stands at 84 goals.
During each of his three
seasons, he has been
among the NAIA’s top 5
in goals scored, finishing
second during his
sophomore season.
In addition to being
named three times to the
All-District and All-South
teams, Belgassem has
been Belmont Abbey’s
Most Valuable Player for
the previous two seasons
and received the In
tercollegiate Soccer
Football Association
award as its top scorer in
1974.
During this year’s
Warren Wilson Indoor
Soccer Games,
Belgassem led the
Crusaders to the
championship through
the loser’s bracket as he
scored 18 goals.
A defensive specialist,
Mosadak Soussi has
scored 18 career goals for
Belmont Abbey. In
addition to the All-
District and All-South
awards, Mosadak was
the Most Valuable Player
in the 1974 District
Tournament.
The awards serve to
heighten excitement for
Belmont Abbey’s soccer
future as both return next
season along with
freshman brother Fikri
who was also an out
standing player on this
year’s team.
■
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**** Belmont Abbey soccerleam^ll^cent^ ^^A^sadak
♦I, ? ^ Soussi are congratulated by Crusaders coach Stanley Dudko fleftl for
their selection to the 1975 NAIA ALL AMERICAN TEAM. ^ "