South Jersey Soccer:
Local Soccer Player Going Pro

Wednesday, March 17, 1999

By Lucas Blatherwick
SJSports Special Correspondent

When it comes to South Jersey soccer, people are saying that less is better. Actually, they are saying that Les is better, as in Les Lunsford, the star athlete from Blue Anchor.

Lunsford , 21 years old, has been playing the game of soccer relentlessly since he was 7 years old. However, you might say his game came together during his years at Overbrook High School, where he made quite an impact. He was playing varsity as a sophomore, and was captain both his junior and senior years, in which he was voted All Conference and all South Jersey, respectively.

After graduating in 1995, he had made an impression on the coaches at Stockton College, where he started as a freshman. It was here that he piled up the impressive record that has gained him so much attention from the professional leagues. He started as a freshman, and as a junior helped Stockton win the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and find themselves ranked second in the nation. It was also this year that he was voted All Conference. The next year he became a captain on the team, and made 2nd team All Conference. In his senior season playing for the Ospreys, he was voted NJAC Player of the Year, en route to setting Stockton's all time assist record (he also holds the single-season record).

With a resume like this one, it is easy to see why the Philadelphia Kixx selected him in the fourth round of the NPSL draft earlier this year. He was also taken by an outdoor team, the Lehigh Valley Steam in the MLS draft. The Steam are an A-League team affiliated with both the Chicago Fire and the New York-New Jersey Metro-Stars. Lunsford plans on playing for both teams in their respective upcoming seasons, and if his past performance is any indication, the sky is the limit for this local talent.