NO GENERATION GAP HERE.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Staff Writer

The phone rings in the Fitzpatrick home. Joey Fitzpatrick realizes he hasn't heard from his grandmother in about a week, so he expects it will be her.

Sure enough, Mary Soukup is on the other end, asking her grandson if he could come by her Woodland Hills home and do some chores. In fact, Fitzpatrick's Christmas present to Soukup was to do any housework or yardwork she saw fit.

Family is important to Fitzpatrick, the sweeper for the Canyon High boys' soccer team. So if he's not playing soccer on a weekend (and the schools rarely schedule Saturday matches and never do on Sundays), he might he found willingly driving the 40 minutes to clean the gutters or clip tree branches or take down the Christmas tree.

Then they talk about - what else? - soccer and family.

``She likes it when I head the ball,'' Fitzpatrick said. ``She asks if it hurts. It doesn't, unless it hits me in the face.``

Fitzpatrick probably will be kidded by his teammates. So many families are fragmented that he's probably the only one on his team who spends so much time with his grandmother.

He doesn't mind. In fact, when he had to do a geneology project for school, he called on Grandma.

Then he made her dinner.

``She needs stuff done. I go and help her out,'' he said. ``She asked me.''

Soukup, who turns 79 on Jan. 31, is in good health. But she lives in the same five-bedroom house she and her late husband bought in 1965 for $38,000. The two reared six children (Fitpatrick's mother, Patty, is the oldest), who in turn have given her 15 grandchildren (Fitzpatrick is the fourth oldest but the oldest boy).

Soukup instilled family values from her upbringing in Rhode Island. She, her three siblings and various cousins lived in the same neighborhood. She enjoyed the closeness, and it has carried over to the next two generations.

On this day, Soukup needed her olive tree trimmed. Fitzpatrick dutifully took the shears and clipped.

``He's good company,'' Soukup said. ``We talk about soccer, school, his friends.''

Soukup watches Fitzpatrick when she can, but it isn't very often. She has yet to see him this season, when he moved from defender to sweeper, replacing All-Foothill League honoree Pat Terry.

The Cowboys are in the middle of the Foothill League race, at 1-2-2 (9-8-4 overall) before Friday's match at Saugus. Coach Pete Getz said the team's scoreless tie Tuesday against Valencia was because of Fitzpatrick.

``Right now, he is the defense,'' Getz said. ``The last three or four games, no ball gets by him. The goals getting scored on us, he's nowhere near the play.

Against Valencia, Fitzpatrick ran down a Vikings forward and recovered possession before any shot.

In the air, Fitzpatrick seems unstoppable.

``I didn't count the number of times he used his head,'' Getz said, ``but last week against Hart, he had, like, seven or eight headers.''

When the season began, Fitzpatrick expressed an interest in being a team captain. Getz said he would have to become more positive with his teammates.

Suddenly, Fitzpatrick was saying things such as ``Get 'em next time'' instead of ``Come on! pass to feet!'' When the league season began, Getz awarded him the third captainship.

Grandma couldn't be more proud.

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Canyon High soccer player Joey Fitzpatrick helps out his grandmother at her home.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer