Men's Soccer Preview
August 11, 2004 01:49 PM | General
August 11, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- After a season as interim head coach and being named full-time coach in December, Mike Seabolt says there are no reasons not to see improvement in his team in 2004.
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| Jarrod Smith led the Mountaineers in goals last year with seven (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
“We’re not going to get the respect that we want or feel like we deserve until we earn it,” says Seabolt. “There are no more excuses or transition. Now is the time for us to come out and prove ourselves.”
The Mountaineers will find out where they’re at when call camp opens Monday, Aug. 16 in preparation for the 2004 campaign. WVU will play one scrimmage against Mount St. Mary’s on Monday, Aug. 30 before opening the season at nationally ranked St. John’s on Friday, Sept. 3.
Seabolt and his staff have the rare luxury in collegiate sports of not having to fill many holes in their starting lineup. Only midfielder Mehran Mostafavifar and defender Kevan Ford graduated, leaving a core of 15 players with plenty of experience. The returners will provide something absent in year’s past-depth.
“This year we are going to be a whole lot deeper than we were a year before,” says Seabolt. Leading the defense will be senior Rusty Girton. The Asheville, N.C., native started all 18 games last season and should provide plenty of skill and leadership to the back line.
“Rusty had times last season when he was the best player on the field,” says Seabolt. “He had a great season in 2003 and surprised us.”
Other Mountaineers who should compete for starting positions on the back line will be sophomores Cole Beasley, Joe Dennison and Chris Wittig.
Midfield should definitely be one of the Mountaineers stronger positions in 2004. Senior Aaron Pitchkolan and junior Devon McTavish will pose interesting problems for their opposition. In 2003, McTavish recorded five goals, second most on the team, and two assists while Pitchkolan found the back of the net three times.
“Devon stepped up in a big way last season,” says Seabolt. “We knew he was a talented player, we knew he had a great work ethic and was going to be a solid player, but he showed that he can be more than solid.”
Sophomore Matt Anstey and Bernard Ouassa should also see plenty of action after stellar efforts in 2003. According to Seabolt, Anstey may be one of the most improved players since his arrival on campus last summer.
Jarrod Smith wasted no time in showing his star potential at the forward position a year ago. He scored in his first collegiate match and went on to lead the team in goals (7) and points (14). He spent a month back in his homeland of New Zealand playing on the country’s Olympic team scoring three goals for the squad.
Tending the net will be sophomore goalkeepers Nick Noble and Adam Shutler. Shutler entered last season as the starter but was soon replaced by Noble. Noble went on to post the school’s fifth lowest goals against average for a season (1.17). Seabolt says that both players will have a shot at the starting spot this season.
“We are very lucky because we have two very fine young goalies,” says Seabolt.
Coach Seabolt and his staff are also bringing in five talented freshmen to add to the mix. New Zealand native Paul Cunningham as well as Andrew Halsell should push for time on defense this fall. At midfield and forward, Ben Stevens, Reed Cooper and Pat Carroll all appear to have the talent to see action in their freshman campaigns.
The Mountaineers also received a transfer by way of South Florida: defender Jason Miller played two seasons for the Bulls before making the change to Morgantown. The junior brings plenty of experience to the young squad.
“All of these guys can really help us this season,” says Seabolt.
The 2004 schedule promises many interesting and challenging matchups. Kicking off the season will be 2003 NCAA championship finalist St. John’s, whom the Mountaineers played to a close 1-0 loss at the end of last season.
Aiding WVU this year will be the addition of four more home games and four fewer road matches.
On this season’s BIG EAST slate is UConn, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, Villanova, Pitt and Rutgers. In non-conference play, the Mountaineers will face Mount St. Mary’s, Liberty, Virginia Tech, Marshall, St. Francis, Longwood, Robert Morris and Delaware to close out the regular season.
“It’s a great non-conference schedule and the BIG EAST speaks for itself,” says Seabolt. “Last year there were six teams in the NCAA tournament and in my opinion there isn’t another conference that can stack up to the BIG EAST.”
This season Seabolt’s team will definitely have a home stadium to compete with their BIG EAST counterparts. The newly constructed 1,600-seat Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium will welcome the Mountaineers home this season at the same site as the old Mountaineer Soccer Complex.
The world-class playing surface of the Mountaineer Soccer Complex has been preserved, the new stadium adds on-site locker rooms, restrooms, concessions and a modern press box. Seabolt says that the new stadium was a big reason for adding more home games.
“There is no reason to have a new stadium and to be on the road all year,” says Seabolt.
While Seabolt and his players are excited for the 2004 season and expect great things they are not forgetting that their goal is to improve every day.
“In our minds we just want to be a better soccer team this season,” says Seabolt.
That process begins at nationally ranked St. John’s on Friday, Sept. 3.
