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Just for kicks Photo by Andrew Mariman Fuego! Goalkeeper Mark Winstead, right, comes out of the goal to challenge Tom Whittaker of the Surge. Winstead thwarted this attempt, but Whittaker earned a measure of revenge with a hat trick for the Surge as his team from Salem earned a 10-0 victory over the Fuego! at Walter A. Phillips Field Tuesday night in Ashland Dazzling display by Salem team does in Fuego! By DON HUNT ASHLAND - About 2,000 soccer fans crowded into Walter A. Phillips Field Tuesday night to watch perhaps the best soccer ever played in the Rogue Valley. The Cascade Surge, a semiprofessional team from Salem, put on a dazzling display of dribbling, passing and shooting en route to a 10-0 victory over Fuego!, an all-star group of amateur players from the Rogue Valley. Tom Whittaker, a 20-year-old England native who plays for the University of Rio Grande in Ohio, scored three goals and added an assist to power the Salem team to victory. But the biggest winners were the fans, who showed up in droves despite a pre-game thunderstorm that pelted the field with rain. "I'm really happy and excited about the turnout," Fuego! coach Jose Chavez said. "Southern Oregon has been starving for high-caliber soccer and tonight the fans saw a skill level rarely seen in this valley." The fans cheered enthusiastically for the home team, but it was evident from the beginning that the Surge - made up of college players and foreign players with international experience - was superior in every aspect of the game. Roger Groome, who plays on Tobago's U21 national team, and Jose Diaz, who plays for Robert Wesleyan College in New York, added two goals each for the Salem squad. "The international experience of their players is what got the best of us," Chavez said. "Our guys don't see that kind of talent around here. It's something you can't prepare for. "But for us, this is a process. We're building a program, and this is the first step." Fuego! goalie Mark Winstead was peppered for 32 shots and made seven saves. When it was over, the Southern California native left the field in awe of his opponent. "It was incredible - I was in awe of the whole situation," said Winstead, an all-CIF player at Western High School in Anaheim, Calif., who moved to the Rogue Valley nine years ago. "Just watching them come out and warm up was intimidating. "But I'd go out there in a heartbeat and play them again." Winstead was particularly impressed with the accuracy of the Surge players. "They know how to finish," he said. "And their headers were amazing." The best player on the field might have been Patrick Daka, a former member of the Zimbabwe junior national team who now attends Western Baptist College in Salem. Daka, who grew up playing soccer in the streets of Zimbabwe, scored only one goal but hit the post on another attempt, registered two assists and electrified the crowd with his ball-handing skills. One foray late in the first half saw the fleet striker dribble past several defenders and then put on a spectacular zigzag move as he approached Winstead. Daka's shot veered right of the near post, but his charge upfield was a sight to behold. Whittaker scored the first goal off an assist from Daka just four minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Groome hammered through a header off another assist from Daka. By the half it was 6-0. Fuego! never even got off a shot until 10 minutes into the contest when Rael Hirning launched one from 25 yards that sailed over the crossbar. The local team's best chance to score came late in the second half when Will Dolan found himself one-on-one with Surge goalie Andy Ward. Dolan got off a hard shot, but Ward smothered it. The Surge finished with a 32-7 advantage on shots on goal and a 10-2 edge in corner kicks. Nonetheless, Fuego! earned some respect. "I like their spirit," Daka said. "They kept playing hard." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.