Date Posted: 11/4/2005

By Keith Parsons
AP Sports Reporter

BUIES CREEK, N.C. (AP) -- In a season full of highlights, Campbell's Willy Guadarrama had no trouble picking out his favorite.

It came about a month ago, when the soccer star's parents made a surprise visit to watch a home game against Atlantic Sun Conference rival Stetson.

Guadarrama promised his father a hat trick that day, then went out and scored five times in a victory for the Fighting Camels.

The effort made him the top goal scorer in Division I, and with the regular season winding down, Guadarrama still holds that honor with 19 goals in 17 games.

"There is always pressure to live up to already being the No. 1 scorer, so I have to keep on scoring goals," the 21-year-old sophomore said.

His younger brother, Sonny, also is on the team at Campbell, and he has more goals (10) than any other freshmen in the nation. Sonny had one in that game against Stetson, too, and together the Guadarramas have helped the Camels (11-5-1) clinch their first winning record since 1996 and a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

And the brother tandem is right on track for their ambitious preseason plans. "Sonny said he was going to have 10 goals and 10 assists, and Willy said he would have 20 goals," coach Doug Hess said. "I just sort of laughed it off."

Well, Willy is one away from his mark, while Sonny has the postseason to try to get five more assists. Their chemistry on the field comes from a childhood of playing soccer at their home in Austin, Texas, with their father, Sergio, a former professional in Mexico.

The three spent countless hours in the yard with a ball, and Willy and Sonny took those skills to their local club team, the Austin United Capitals. They are two of four members of the Capitals now with the Camels, joining Julian Fulton and Chris Price.

When it came time for Sonny to pick a college, he looked no further than Campbell, a small school nestled in a one-stoplight town about 45 miles south of Raleigh.

"I kind of knew, with my brother here, I was going to end up here, too," Sonny said. "It was a chance to play together again."

The competition among the brothers is kept in check a bit by their different positions --Willy is a forward, with Sonny in the midfield. That allows them to constantly look for each other on the field, and Willy is the undisputed go-to player for scoring chances.

"I've never seen anyone as determined as Willy to score," Fulton said. "When he gets a goal, he starts thinking right then about his next one. That's why he's had some games with a lot of goals."

Early in the season, Willy got four in a victory over Marshall, becoming the first Campbell player to do that in nearly 11 years before later matching the school (Division I era) record against Stetson. He has a pair of other multiple-goal games to lead Jason Garey of Maryland by one goal in the national rankings.

"I'm finishing better, but a lot of it has to do with the mental aspect, and the motivation I get playing alongside my brother," Willy said. "We've been doing it all our lives. Just having him there helps a lot."

Not bad for someone who took a very circuitous path to college. Willy nearly turned professional right out of high school before eventually enrolling in some junior college classes, then transferred to Campbell a year later. But a discrepancy with his transcripts -- he originally wasn't credited with enough semester hours -- cost him a year of eligibility.

At that point, Hess thought Willy was gone for good. "I think, in this day and age, most kids would have left after it didn't work out right away," Hess said. "He's a very, very loyal kid. And the good thing about that is now he's only a year ahead of his brother."

Indeed, the Camels figure to have two more seasons with the Guadarramas. Perhaps their parents will have many more opportunities to watch them play.

"I'm very glad for both of the boys," said their mother, Sandra. "They are very happy there, playing together. It was a great chance for them, instead of splitting up. I think they're headed in the right direction."