Men's Soccer: Previewing the 2008 Defenders
August 13, 2008 04:14 PM | General
By Ira Green for MSNsportsNET.com
August 13, 2008
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| Junior Jason Bristol is the only starting defender to return from last year's squad.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Peaking just around the corner is the 2008 season for the West Virginia University men’s soccer team. With the success from last season in the rearview mirror, Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc has spent the past few months gearing up for the present.
Today, MSNsportsNET.com previews the 2008 Mountaineers’ defense.
Defenders
One of the most critical areas on the field, one that can ultimately dictate a team’s success, is its last line of defense. However, the losses of star defenders Pat Carroll, Paul Cunningham and Andrew Halsell have Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc in an inquisitive, but optimistic state of mind.
“I think that’s going to be our biggest area that we’re going to have to shore up pretty quickly,” LeBlanc says. “I think I’m going to be spending a lot of time with this group. One of the things when you have an experienced group is you can give them a problem and not have to tell them the answer for them to solve it. You give them the problem, you give them the exercise and they’ll figure it out and solve it on their own.
“With a younger group, you may have to give them the problem, give them the answer and tell them how to get to it, and I think we’ll have to do that with this group. Not because they’re not intelligent enough to figure it out, we just don’t have the luxury of waiting for them to figure it out.”
With the popular “time is of the essence” phrase, the Mountaineers have less than week before their first exhibition match and just more than two weeks before regular-season play commences.
Junior Jason Bristol is the lone returning starter on defense, and even though senior Donald La Guerre and incoming junior transfer Kyle West can add experience, the four back positions are wide open. However, LeBlanc addressed the issue during recruiting.
“One of the things we did due to this year was recruit heavily in the back,” LeBlanc says. “We brought in a number of guys who are going to be competitive. I think we have the quality in there to be able to come up with the back four. The question is, as it is with any other position on the field when you have freshmen there, is how good is it going to be right away?”
Bristol, who started nine of the 10 games he played, will still have to challenge for his job, according to LeBlanc.
La Guerre and junior Ryan Gillespie, also return from last year’s squad, but saw limited playing time in 2007. Each has the ability to play midfield and defense, but might see more time in the backfield due to the lack of experience on defense.
West is the only other player with collegiate experience. He spent two seasons with Ohio State, playing in 14 games during his tenure with the Buckeyes.
With recruiting, the Mountaineers add five freshmen to the defense. One of the most notable additions is Raymon Gaddis, a highly respected player from Indianapolis, Ind., who is expected to battle for the right back position.
“It was two years ago that I saw Ray at the Olympic Development Program in a regional in Orlando, Florida, which is where all the different regional teams come from across the country, the best under-17 kids in the country, and Ray was clearly the best player down there,” LeBlanc recalls. “He played in the back. They played him at midfield, they played him everywhere. He was just so competitive and refused to lose. With that type of mindset, that kind of thing is contagious across your team.
“He’s a humble kid who really doesn’t care about accolades, he just wants to win. That’s a fantastic quality to have in a young man.”
Regardless of whether or not he acknowledges the accolades, Gaddis has accumulated many of them. He was named a NSCAA High School All-American and was ranked in the top 135 defenders nationally. He was also a 2007 ESP All-Star.
Competing with Gaddis for the right back spot will be freshman Kona Dennis, from Reston, Va.
“Kona’s another one who’s athletic and fast and I think he’s going to be another project,” LeBlanc says. “He’s another one of these kids who’s way undervalued, but is going to be competitive.”
The three other freshmen include Gary Clark, Nick Claudio and Connor Gorman.
Clark and Claudio are from the surrounding Morgantown-area.
A Harrisburg, Pa., native, Clark is listed at 6-foot, 165 pounds and is described by LeBlanc as someone who is ‘strong, extremely athletic and can play a number of positions for the Mountaineers.’
Claudio, who’s from Charleston, W.Va., was actually coached by LeBlanc in the Olympic Development Program. Claudio garnered West Virginia All-State honors and helped lead his high school to a state title in 2007. LeBlanc sees him as an undervalued West Virginia product and expects Claudio to compete for one of the center back positions.
Coming in from Philadelphia, Pa., Gorman is expected to seriously compete for a starting left back position by LeBlanc. The naturally left-footed player earned Pennsylvania All-State honors and was a three year all-league selection.
The defenders, the youngest group on the team, are constantly on LeBlanc’s mind, but he doesn’t appear to be worried.
“The inexperience is certainly a concern, but I think it’s a healthy concern because one of the great things about this group is that as inexperienced as we’re going to be this year in the back, three years from now they’re probably going to be one of the most experienced back fours in the country,” LeBlanc says with a smile. “It’s an interesting time, but I think we’re going to have an opportunity now with so many freshmen to really mold this class and mold this team into the exact form and exact image that we want them to be.”
