2009 Men's Soccer Slate Announced
April 23, 2009 02:50 PM | General
April 23, 2009
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| The Mountaineers broke their single-season home attendance record in 2008 when 10,957 fans passed through the gates at Dick Dlesk.
WVU Sports Communications photo |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong has released the 2009 men's soccer schedule, highlighted by home matches against BIG EAST Tournament Champion USF, regular-season champion Connecticut and national tournament participant UC-Santa Barbara, trips to Ohio State, Notre Dame and the UNC Wilmington tournament as well as hosting the 2009 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championships at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Six of the teams the Mountaineers face advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
“We always try to build one of the more competitive schedules in the country and we have done so again this year,” Coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “We have the great addition of some non-traditional opponents like UC-Santa Barbara, Buffalo and Elon. I think our schedule is daunting, but is manageable and certainly we look forward to again having some of the best teams in the country come to Morgantown.”
WVU’s 2009 opponents combined for a 162-126-50 overall record, with 14 of the 17 opponents registering winning records and 10 of the teams finished with 10 or more wins. Also, WVU will be facing three teams for the first time in the program’s 48-year history.
“We are excited about the opportunity to play host to the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship for the first time in Morgantown," Pastilong said. "It is a great opportunity to showcase our men's soccer program and Dick Dlesk Stadium, one of the finest soccer stadiums in the nation.”
Support for the program also has increased exponentionally, evident by the home attendance numbers over the last three seasons. WVU broke its single-season home attendance record after 10,957 fans passed through the gates. Included in that number are six matches with 1,000 or more fans. Four of those contests are Top 10 all-time marks for the program at Dick Dlesk.
“I think there’s been a massive growth of the soccer community here in Morgantown,” LeBlanc added. “I think it’s a direct reflection of our success and the quality of teams we’re able to bring in here. We’re going to have Virginia and Michigan in here for preseason games and UC-Santa Barbara, which leads the nation every year in attendance. We’re looking forward to showing them and the rest of the country what we have here in West Virginia in terms of fan support as well.”
WVU opens its season at home with the West Virginia University Classic, presented by Jerseys Subs. Following the 5 p.m. contest on Sept. 4 between Buffalo and Pitt, the Mountaineers will play host to UC Santa Barbara, which finished the season ranked No. 22, at 8 p.m. Two days later, WVU will face Buffalo in a 4 p.m. match. The Bulls finished the season with a 12-4-4 overall mark and return four of six all-league selections.
On Sept. 11, WVU will travel south to compete in the UNC Wilmington Tournament. The first match is slated for 7:30 p.m. against tournament-host UNC Wilmington, the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association’s regular-season champions. The Mountaineers will then face Appalachian State two days later for a 1 p.m. kick. Two of ASU’s first team league selections will be returning to the squad.
Following a five-day break, WVU will resume action with its first BIG EAST road trip at Louisville on Sept. 18. Kickoff at Trager Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. On Sept. 20, WVU will play conference-foe Cincinnati at Gettler Stadium. The contest is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. WVU and Cincinnati will be meeting for the first time since the Mountaineers defeated the Bearcats in the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament at Dick Dlesk.
The Mountaineers return to Morgantown for their BIG EAST home opener against USF on Sept. 25. The Bulls, who won the league tournament and advanced to the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament, finished the season with a 15-5-3 overall record and a No. 8 national ranking. Two days later, the Mountaineers will play host to DePaul. Kick off against the Blue Demons is set for 4 p.m.
WVU then returns to the road for league games against Marquette and Pitt. The contest against the Golden Eagles is scheduled for Oct. 3 at 7:05 p.m., and the Pitt match will start at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7.
Three days later on Oct. 10, WVU will play host to Connecticut. The Mountaineers stunned the Huskies, who were ranked No. 7 at the time, last season 1-0. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
After playing host to non-conference opponent Elon on Oct. 14, the Mountaineers will hit the road for a pair of games. WVU will face Notre Dame at Alumni Stadium for an 11:30 a.m. start. The Mountaineers then head to Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 21 for a match against Ohio State, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Mountaineers then return to Morgantown for their final homestand, which begins with a contest against Georgetown on Oct. 24. WVU’s final regular-season home contest comes against Providence on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
WVU wraps up the regular-season with a road contest at Seton Hall on Oct. 31.
"It's a great opportunity and privilege to host one of the nation's elite soccer conference championships," LeBlanc said. "To be able to do that here in Morgantown is a great privilege and an honor and we're hoping that we're going to have an opportunity to play for the BIG EAST title here on our own field."
The semifinals and the title match of the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament will be held in Morgantown at Dick Dlesk. This will be the first time in program history that WVU will host the championship.
| Date | Opponent | Time/Result |
| Aug 23 | Michigan (Exh.) | 7 p.m. |
| Aug 29 | at Virginia (Exh.) | 7 p.m. |
| Sept 4 | UC-Santa Barbara $ | 8 p.m. |
| Sept 6 | Buffalo $ | 4 p.m. |
| Sept 11 | at UNC-Wilmington ! | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept 13 | vs. Appalachian St. ! | 1 p.m. |
| Sept 18 | at Louisville | 7 p.m. |
| Sept 20 | at Cincinnati | 1 p.m. |
| Sept 25 | South Florida | 8 p.m. |
| Sept 27 | DePaul | 4 p.m. |
| Oct 3 | at Marquette | 8:05 p.m. |
| Oct 7 | at Pitt | 7 p.m. |
| Oct 10 | UConn | 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct 14 | Elon | 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct 17 | at Notre Dame | 11:30 a.m. |
| Oct 21 | at Ohio State | 7 p.m. |
| Oct 24 | Georgetown | 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct 28 | Providence | 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct 31 | at Seton Hall | 7 p.m. |
| Nov 4 | BIG EAST 1st round (host site) | TBD |
| Nov 7 | BIG EAST 2nd round (host site) | TBD |
| Nov 13 | BIG EAST Semifinals (Morgantown, W.Va.) | TBD |
| Nov 15 | BIG EAST Finals (Morgantown, W.Va.) | TBD |
$ West Virginia University Classic presented by Jerseys Subs, Morgantown,
W.Va.
! UNC-Wilmington Tournament, Wilmington, N.C.
