Men's Soccer: Attendance Milestone
February 11, 2010 01:38 PM | General
February 11, 2010
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| Coach Marlon LeBlanc |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the first time in program history, the West Virginia University men’s soccer team placed in the Top 25 nationally for average home attendance. Averaging 1,021 fans per match, the Mountaineers rank 25th among all Division I programs for the 2009 season.
Before the hiring of coach Marlon LeBlanc in 2006, the Mountaineers did not appear in the Top 50 of the NCAA record books for average home attendance, drawing 386 per match in 2005.
“When I came here in 2006, one of my goals was to make West Virginia soccer one of the premier programs in the country,” LeBlanc says. “Certainly, our staff, marketing, sports information and everyone have really contributed to the growth of men’s soccer – not just in the state of West Virginia, but nationally to now we’re a Top 25 program in terms of attendance. Considering where we came from when we first started here, to where we are in 2009, it really just shows the true growth of men’s soccer here at West Virginia.”
In 2006, WVU rapidly climbed the charts. In LeBlanc’s first season, men’s soccer attendance nearly doubled, as Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium averaged 695 spectators per contest – a mark that put the program 44th nationally. Just two seasons later in 2008, a program-record 10,957 fans passed through the gates at Dick Dlesk.
Under LeBlanc, WVU owns a remarkable 23-10-8 home record. Even more impressive, the Mountaineers have defeated seven ranked opponents through four seasons at home, including top-ranked Connecticut in 2007.
Wins over Top 25 opponents at home
2009
Sept. 25 - WVU defeated No. 3 USF, 1-0 (ot)
2008
Oct. 15 - WVU defeated No. 22 Ohio State, 1-0
2007
Oct. 19 - WVU defeated No. 1 Connecticut, 1-0
2006
Oct. 28 - WVU defeated No. 4 USF, 1-0
Oct. 18 - WVU defeated No. 6 Notre Dame, 2-1
Setp. 23 - WVU defeated No. 21 Seton Hall, 5-3
Sept. 2 - WVU defeated No. 17 Cal State Northridge, 2-1
