Men's Soccer: Two Mountaineers Excel in MLS
June 26, 2006 01:17 PM | General
June 26, 2006
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| McTavish |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Former West Virginia University soccer players Devon McTavish and Aaron Pitchkolan are enjoying successful seasons in Major League Soccer, while several current Mountaineers are also playing at various levels of competition this summer.
McTavish, who was drafted by D.C. United this year, played in his first match of the season on Wednesday, June 21, in the team’s 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire. The Winchester, Va., saw 46 minutes of action in his debut.
The midfielder followed that performance up by earning a start in the next match against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday, June 24, in which United came away with a 1-0 win. McTavish played 76 minutes and recorded one of the team’s two shots on goal.
McTavish played for the Mountaineers from 2002-05 and helped guide the team to the NCAA tournament last season as the team’s lone senior.
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| Pitchkolan |
Pitchkolan is putting together another solid second season with FC Dallas as he has played in seven games and recorded a game-winning goal in his second season. The Aurora, Colo., native has tallied 1,525 minutes played since being drafted by Dallas in 2005 and has four career goals on 18 shots.
Pitchkolan played for West Virginia from 2002-04, leading the team to its first ever BIG EAST tournament win as a senior.
McTavish’s D.C. United club currently sits atop the Eastern standings with a 9-1-5 record, while Pitchkolan and FC Dallas hold the top spot in the Western standings with an 8-2-3 mark.
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| Smith |
This summer has also been an exciting one for senior WVU forward Jarrod Smith, who played in four matches for the full New Zealand national team. The Havelock North, native started in the All Whites’ match against Estonia and came off the bench against Hungary and Georgia. Smith rounded out the trip by playing 30 minutes against defending World Cup champion Brazil on June 4, 2006, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Several other Mountaineers are spending the summer playing for Premier Development League (PDL) soccer teams. Sophomore Zak Boggs currently leads the Bradenton (Fla.) Academics offensive attack with seven goals, while seniors Nick Noble and Ashraf Ahmad have started throughout the season for the West Virginia Chaos. Sophomore forward Alex Yost has also seen action for the Michigan Bucks.
