When he was playing sweeper on the Lakeland soccer team last season, Bill Higbea didn’t get too many scoring opportunities.

&uot;I was the last line of defense,&uot; said the senior Cavalier. &uot;But I think I’ll get to score more this weekend.&uot;

He’s referring to the &uot;Got Milk? 3-on-3 Soccer Shootout,&uot;

which begins today at the Lake Taylor Soccer Complex in Norfolk. Games are played on a field roughly half the size of a regulation field, with smaller goals and 20-minute halves. Higbea, will team with fellow Cavaliers David Smith, Daman Stancill and Mike DeJesus to take on other Hampton Roads players.

Smith, who achieved All-Region honors last season in helping Lakeland to a 7-6-2 record (the best in school history), has a bit of experience on playing the miniaturized game. &uot;I played on teams that won three-on-three game at a soccer camp at William and Mary, and in a Suffolk Youth Athletic Association tournament a few years ago,&uot; said the midfielder, whose 17 goals landed him second in the region for the 2002 season. &uot;It’s a lot faster, and there are no goalies, so there’s a lot more goals. It’s not as organized as regular soccer, so there’s less to worry about.&uot;

Stancill, who handles right midfielding duties on the Cavaliers, hopes that he and his teammates can communicate on the field. &uot;You have to think and pass fast when you’re out there,&uot; he said. &uot;Everything you do has to be right on target.

Skill shouldn’t be a problem, says DeJesus, who graduated from Lakeland in June. &uot;We have a stacked team, and we’ll all be scoring!&uot; he said. &uot;But we’re still all going to have to play both offense and defense.&uot;

The three remaining Cavaliers are already casting a confident eye toward next season. &uot;Our goal is to make the district tournament,&uot; said Smith. &uot;We should do it, because we’re going to be the best team that Lakeland has ever had.&uot;