The University of Mississippi Athletics
Holeman Coaches South Team at U.S. Soccer Festival
7/30/2002 | Soccer
July 30, 2002
HOUSTON, Texas - Ole Miss women's soccer coach Steve Holeman looks for a second straight gold medal as he coaches the South Regional Girls' Team in the seventh annual U.S. Amateur Soccer Festival this week on the campus of the University of Houston.
Holeman, who has led the Rebels to the SEC West's best record over the last five seasons, guided the south squad to a gold medal finish in last year's festival, claiming the championship match on penalty kicks. It was Holeman's first year as head coach of the USASA South Regional Team, after serving as an assistant in 2000.
Holeman's south team opened this year's competition on Monday in a 3-3 tie with the Mexico U-19 Women's National Team. The South takes to the field next on Wednesday against the East Regional Team, the third member of the Women's Group A. The U.S. Under-16 Girls' National Team heads Group B along with the USASA Midwest and West Regional Teams.
This year's U.S. Soccer Festival, which features eight men's teams and six women's teams, follows the successful 2001 Amateur Soccer Festival that was held in Chicago. The first Amateur Soccer Festival was held in San Antonio in 1996, and previous Amateur Soccer Festivals have also been held in Rhode Island (2000), Portland (1999), Manchester, N.H. (1998), Blaine, Minn. (1997).
Recognizing the need to continue the development of young American players and needing a forum to identify other up-and-coming players, the United States Amateur Soccer Association has developed this event to serve those needs through its partnership with the United States Soccer Federation and a grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
The U.S. Amateur Soccer Festival was originally conceived when the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) discontinued the staging of their annual U.S. Sports Festival in 1995. The U.S. Amateur Soccer Festival, which is sponsored and organized by the USASA, has incorporated the concept used in the U.S. Sports Festival and has expanded it to also include several U.S. National Teams and, for the fourth consecutive year, international teams.
