By MARK TAYLOR

Like many people, Mark Monserrat is planning to be at the beach this weekend. But relaxing in the sun is the last thing on his mind.

Monserrat is going to play sand soccer, an action-packed game that combines the elements of soccer played in the setting of beach volleyball. It might just be the hottest new craze to hit American beaches. Virginia Beach will be soccer-crazy this weekend as more than 200 teams have signed up to compete in the North American Sand Soccer Championships. Nearly 2,000 players - men, women and juniors - will be involved, hailing from seven states. Thousands of fans are expected.

In its three-year life, the beach tourney has become the largest sand soccer tournament in the country. It is also a non-profit affair, put on by an army of volunteers, supported by national sponsors. Profits go towards the construction of the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex. Monserrat isn't surprised by the game's growing popularity. "It's the perfect setting", says the 22-year old Navy petty officer, who'll captain the Austin "Gators", one of the 205 teams in the two-day tournament. "It's a lot like beach volleyball - and look how well that sport has taken off".

Mark Chandler, a Marine Corps major and player-coach of a team from the Atlantic Intelligence Command, agrees. "The action is a lot closer in", says Chandler, 33, referring to sand soccer's 35-yard-long by 25-yard-wide court and hockey-sized goals. "And I think the faster pace suits the American personality."

It was the 1994 World Cup that gave the slam-dunk and quarterback-blitz-crazed American masses their first real taste of a game that rules the rest of the world. The big field game has since taken off. At the same time, the beach version, long played on beaches around the world, is proving attractive to Americans - players and fans- who like the mix of sports, sun and surf.

"You don't need a field", say Chandler. "You just go to the beach, find a little sand, set up some goals and you're ready to go." Or at least that's what some players do. Chandler admits he hasn't exactly played sand soccer before. "This is going to be a first for all of us," he says, adding that the game will be different than the one the team is used to. "But coming from our background, we're naturally going to be competitive." Chandler knows that conditioning will be a big factor. As a Marine, he's spent his share of time running on beaches. "It's amazing how fast your legs get dragged down in the sand-both literally and figuratively," he says.

Games consist of two fifteen minute halves. A 30 minute game in the sand can be as draining as a 90 minute game on grass. And at the tourney, teams might have to play three or more games a day.

Monserrat, a resident alien who played sand soccer while growing up in Spain, admits that he and his team-mates have had trouble keeping in shape due to a tough work schedule. But with a six-month deployment looming in the near future, they plan to make the most of the tourney. "It sure would be nice to return with something for the ship", says Monserrat.