Rhinos 'D' yields 3 stars

By Jeff DiVeronica
Democrat and Chronicle

TORONTO (September 23, 2000) -- The Rhinos allowed the fewest goals (24) in the A-League for the second time in three seasons.

So it's no surprise that two Rochester defenders -- Craig Demmin and Scott Schweitzer -- and goalkeeper Scott Vallow have earned first-time all-league honors.

The league, which released its selections yesterday, will announce its yearly awards next week.

Schweitzer is the reigning two-time Defender of the Year.

First-year Rhinos midfielder Martin Nash, who had three goals and a team-record nine assists in the regular season, and fifth-year veteran Lenin Steenkamp were second-team picks.

Nash earned all-league honors in 1996 with Vancouver. Steenkamp (one goal, one assist) returned from a season-ending knee injury to again be a midfield force.

Schweitzer and Demmin, the league's most dominating central tandem, are the heart of the defense. Schweitzer has been all-league four straight years and Demmin three.

They were the backbone in '98 when Rochester surrendered a league-record low 15 goals. Ex-Rhino Pat Onstad earned top keeper honors that year for Rochester.

Vallow, a second-year pro out of Bowling Green who took over for injured Billy Andracki on June 26, will win the same award next week for his league-best 0.83 goals-against average. In his first season with Rochester, Vallow was 13-6-1 with eight shutouts.

Allnutt, another all-league pick in 1998, played with a broken rib for much of the season to lead the team in goals (10) and points (23).

He also was all-league in 1997 for Carolina.

Keeper update: Andracki had surgery yesterday to repair the torn ligament in his knee that he suffered June 25 at Toronto.

Major League Soccer's New York/New Jersey MetroStars, who were interested in Andracki before he reinjured his knee, wanted Vallow last week for their playoff opener, but he turned them down. NY/NJ, looking to replace injured Mike Amann, weren't happy with the effort of Paul Grafer, on loan from Long Island (A-League). NY/NJ went on to sweep Dallas with Grafer.

Be careful: Before last week's emergency duty in wrapping up Game 2 at Charleston, Rhinos backup goalie Kevin Rueda hadn't been a field player since college at Santa Clara.

"(Coach Pat Ercoli's) pep talk to me was, 'Whatever you do, don't pass it, just kick it away,' " Rueda said.

Knicked up: Schweitzer, who as a kid used to take the subway from Rahway, N.J., to Grand Central Station to see Knicks games, had this to offer on the trade of Patrick Ewing to Seattle.

"It'll probably come out helping us (the Knicks)," he said. "But he's been The Man to me."

Throw-ins: Canadian National Team coach Holger Osieck and Tim Holt, A-League Director of Operations who oversees officiating, was at last night's Eastern Conference Finals opener. . . . If they upset Rochester, the Lynx would play in Toronto's first soccer title match since the NASL's Blizzard lost to the Chicago Sting in 1984. . . . Rhinos forward Dan Stebbins, who scored seven goals in leading Milwaukee to the 1997 league title, trails ex-Rhino Darren Tilley for the A-League lead in career playoff goals (13-9) and points (33-20). Those figures are since the 1997 merger of the United Soccer Leagues and A-League. . . . Onstad may reportedly be loaned from his Scottish Premier team, Dundee United, to FC Copenhagen. . . . Varsity Stadium is scheduled to be demolished after next season. A smaller, 7,000-seat venue might be built in its place.