Rules are different as SharX take game indoors Friday

Indoor soccer is a fairly straight-forward game, even if the rules the Norfolk SharX play under as they open their season Friday night at Scope call for goals to count for two and three points.

The fledgling operation, under the guidance of local soccer impresario Marcie Laumann, is one of three expansion teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League.

The SharX debut against another new franchise, the Syracuse Silver Knights. It's one of 12 games scheduled for Scope.

Coach Jon Hall, a local soccer fixture, has put together a team he characterizes as "young, hungry and whose reputations are going up."

Most players lack significant indoor soccer resumes. Some - like Brandon Massie, who played at Virginia Wesleyan - are competing indoors as full-fledged pros for the first time.

Center forward Matthew Delicate, originally from England, played at VCU and also with the Richmond Kickers.

Midfielder Cecil Lewis' most recent soccer employment was with a club in Maryland, while forward Matt Clare's last soccer address was Tampa Bay.

Goalkeeper Jamie Lieberman was a backup last year for the Milwaukee Wave of the MISL.

Some other key players aren't here yet. Three Brazilians valued for their flair and ball-control skills await their visas in Sao Paulo. Hall says they won't make it in time for Friday's game.

Temporarily on hold, then, is his plan to play "big, strong Americans in the back and the Brazilians up front."

As for the rules: Each team on the floor consists of a goalkeeper and five field players. Substitutions are made on the fly like in ice hockey.

And as in hockey, some fouls will land the offending player in the penalty box.

Games consist of four 15-minute quarters. Ties are broken with a 15-minute golden goal overtime.

All goals are worth two points, except shots that find the net from beyond the 45-foot arc surrounding the goal, which count for three points.

Learning the rules is one thing. Hall acknowledges that it's too soon to analyze how his team might fare in the seven-team MISL.

"I think it's a huge accomplishment to get the game on the pitch," Laumann said.

Before they create a wake on the local sports scene or take a bite out of an opponent, the SharX are hoping to put on a good show.