By LEE TOLLIVER

Patti Fidler sat in the blazing sun for two long days cheering for a group of local high school soccer players. She explained it was the least she could do. After all, the youngsters were playing in memory of her son.

Matthew Fidler played soccer at Cox High School. His friend and scuba diving buddy, Ryan Smith, played at Princess Anne High. Last year on Spring Break, the two died in a scuba diving accident in the Bahamas. The Hampton Roads Soccer Council has set up a memorial fund to raise money for the Fidler/Smith Memorial Field at the Council's regional soccer complex. Last weekend, at the North American Sand Soccer Championships at the Oceanfront, groups of local teens from several schools were playing to raise funds for the field.

"I've been watching for two days," Patti Fidler said, as a team from Norfolk Academy was putting it to the "Glomers" of Cox High. "I felt like I had to do that". The 12 teams raised nearly $2,000, thanks in part to field sponsor HQ. "It's fantastic that the kids are showing such interest," Fidler said. "Most of the kids knew Matt and Ryan from playing soccer". Last summer, kids from Cox High held a memorial tournament for their friend. This year, organizers of the sand soccer event asked them to join their tournament on the beach. In all, eight teams from Cox, two from Princess Anne and another team that organizers weren't sure where it came from heeded the call in the name of friendship. "The kids did all of this, not me or anybody else ," Fidler said. "That's what makes it so special! We knew all of these kids from soccer and it's something my husband and I wanted to do. So, we're here cheering all of them on."

Those teams were among 132 overall in the second annual event Saturday and Sunday at the Oceanfront. This year's event, according to soccer outfitter UMBRO, was the largest sand soccer tournament in the country. Started last year with 28 teams, the field this year grew to include many teams from outside the area. They were spread out across 6 blocks of sun-scorched sand on sand grids measuring 25X35 yards. Each team consisted of five players - four on the field plus a goalkeeper. The teams played in 13 divisions for boys, girls, men, women and corporate.

"We're overjoyed with the success of this, the second event," said Dick Whalen of Beach FC, the tournament director. "Such a large increase of participation, the great weather, good teams, and all the other boardwalk events made it such a festival weekend. It was overwhelming. As far as we could see in either direction from the main tent, there were thousands of soccer players and fans. It was both breathtaking and humbling to see. The whole thing just blew us away." Whalen and his group is hoping to earn about $20, 000 for the soccer complex, based on a 300% increase in advertising and sponsorships. The participants included some of the best soccer players the area has ever seen. One such player - former Kempsville state championship keeper Tony Faticoni - made a special effort to come home to play. Faticoni, who played at Philadelphia Textile and graduated from Rutgers, was also experiencing this version of the game for the first time. "It's as grueling as it looks," remarked Faticoni, after his team had lost to eventual two-time men's open division champion Sprint - another team made up of 1970 Sting members. "We were some of the best players to ever come out of the Beach and we see each other every now and then to bump heads on the soccer field But this is a fun game. It's exciting and something I'd certainly do again!" Faticoni, who was recently named head coach at Centenary College in New Jersey, was also in town to see his sister's new baby.

Another former Beach great on hand was Wade Barrett, a U-19 national player now at William and Mary. This was his first sand soccer tournament. "Hey, this is great," he said, relaxing before the corporate-coed division championship. "You can't beat hanging at the beach all day playing and watching soccer!"