Published December 1, 1998

CALLICOON - During the 1998 girls' varsity soccer season, the Delaware Valley booters got some overseas help. Financial aid, food or clothing? Not a penny, crumb or stitch.

But lots of tips on how to play the game “Caribbean” and “South American” style, according to Mike Mahoney, fourth year coach of the Lady Eagles.

In May, Mahoney, who is an instructor at Delaware Valley Job Corps Center (DVJCC), was asked to coach the local center's men's soccer team.

With student athletes from countries around the world where soccer is a national pastime - such as Peru, Trinidad, Honduras, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Guyana, Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands - the DVJCC team recently captured the 1998 Job Corps Region 2 championship with a 13-1-1 record.

With this pool of talent and a need to train a fledgling keeper for the Lady Eagles booters, Mahoney asked DVJCC student and goalie Jeremy Paul to lend a hand at Delaware Valley as assistant coach of the girls varsity soccer team.

The 22-year-old student was born in Grenada and later emigrated to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is enrolled in the local Job Corps Center's buildings and apartment maintenence program.

While in Grenada, he played as keeper for the under-19 national championship team in 1995, as well as playing in the minor leagues.

After moving to St. Thomas, Paul was selected for their national soccer team, but due to financial reasons wasn't able to participate in tournament competition. So he packed his bags, traveled to America, and enrolled in the Job Corp training program in search of a better future.

For about fifteen hours a week, Paul worked closely with Delaware Valley's first-year goalie, 16-year-old Theresa Bauer of Hankins.

“Where I grew up, soccer was something you do around the community,” said Paul. “I started playing when I was about six years old, and after doing it every day, it just comes naturally.”

Referring to his pupil, Paul said, “She has come a long way. She improved tremendously since early in the season.”

According to Bauer, a junior at Delaware Valley, “I couldn't have progressed without him. In the beginning (of the soccer season) I had no skills whatsoever, and he taught me a lot. Hopefully, I'll be able to use what he taught me as a senior goalie next year.”

“Jeremy really stepped in and has been a great asset by passing along his skills and understanding of the game,” said Mahoney. “It's been a real, real good situation for everybody: the Western Sullivan League, the Job Corps and Delaware Valley. I think something like this is a first for the area.”

Mahoney described Paul's style of play in his Caribbean homeland as “almost like ‘hit-and-run' street basketball.”

Also helping bring an “international flavor” to the DV booters is 22-year-old Rolando Castillo of Ecuador. Castillo is also a student at DVJCC, where he played on the men's soccer team. “In South America, soccer is very passionate and creative,” said Mahoney. “They play with a certain amount of flair, and Rolando taught my defenders how to play with heart. Now the girls understand the importance of committing themselves. That if you're going to play, you do it with all your heart.”