Published: May 11, 2007 12:01 am      

MSU coaches lending talents to youths

When John Birkelbach coaches Mountain State University’s men’s soccer team, nothing short of a win gets the job done.

It’s a different story, however, when Birkelbach leads the West Virginia Rapids’ under-9 and under-10 teams into action.

“They’re young and we’re not worried about getting results in tournaments,” he said. “They’re there to learn the basic skills in soccer and they need to learn them at this age, not in high school or college.”

Wins would be nice — but aren’t crucial — as the Rapids compete this weekend in the Chick-Fil-A/Darrell Moore Memorial Tournament at the YMCA Youth Sports Complex.

“When they become u-14 or u-15, then we’ll focus on them becoming winners,” Birkelbach said. “But with u-10 or u-12 you shouldn’t focus on winning and put pressure on the players. (We practice) the building blocks of becoming a player.”

The young Rapids teams have trained together since March, working on basic dribbling, passing and shooting. They finish up their practices 9-on-9 scrimmages.

Coaching the youngsters is a less intense, fun experience for Birkelbach, who led MSU in its first season of soccer to a 5-11 record and a 2-1 first-round tournament victory over Berea College.

“I definitely enjoy it,” he said. “You can teach a kid something and they go home and practice it. Then they come back and show you they’ve gotten better.

“It’s good to see the start and finish of something.”

n MSU women’s coach Kelly Borck likewise is working with younger players.

Her Rapids u-17 team has 14 players from the Beckley area, while the u-14 squad recently added some Charleston-area players and how has a roster of 16.

At this level, playing travel ball is key to a player’s continued development.

“It’s an opportunity to build your ball skills and get playing experience,” Borck said.

“Just keeping touch on the ball year-round is important to get better, and it shows they’re dedicated to the sport.”

The Moore tournament will be the first for Borck’s charges.

Many of them play high school soccer during the fall for Woodrow Wilson, Oak Hill, Midland Trail, Greenbrier East and Mountain State University Academy.

“The girls are fun to work with,” Borck said. “They listen and take my advice well. They make it fun for me to be there and I hope I make it fun for them.”

Mountain State University Academy’s Kate Armentrout is the clear standout on the squad.

Armentrout’s performance on the Falcons’ boys team earned her girls all-state honors.

“By far Kate will be a very big contributor and leader for our u-17 team,” Borck said. “She has great ball control and she’s very calm, never rushed.

“We use her as a center midfielder to control the pace of the game and also to be a big distributor and finisher.”

Borck was a standout goalkeeper during her high school days in Minnesota and once made 45 saves against the No. 1 team in the nation.

She played college ball at the University of Charleston and will coach the MSU women in their inaugural season this fall.

— E-mail:

dstillwell@register-herald.com