Men's Soccer: Spring Schedule Announced
February 17, 2010 12:22 PM | General
February 17, 2010
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| Coach Marlon LeBlanc |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men’s soccer coach Marlon LeBlanc has announced the team’s spring schedule today, which features three home matches at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and two road contests.
"This is the most complete offseason team that I've been able to have since I arrived - 21 players this spring here," LeBlanc says. "They've all been training very hard. I think we've put together a very good, very challenging spring schedule with some pro competition and some of the best in the NCAA, Division I and Division II. This spring is going to give us an opportunity to really give our guys to play a lot of minutes, but also challenge them against some of the toughest competition that we could find out there to play."
The Mountaineers open the spring season on the road on March 20 against Crystal Palace Baltimore, which is part of the North American Soccer League and the United States Soccer Federation 2nd Division. The contest will be played in Baltimore, Md., at 2 p.m. Location will be decided at a later date dependent upon weather conditions.
WVU will have three weeks off before returning to the pitch for its home opener on April 10 against 2009 Mid-American Conference champions and NCAA Division I runner-up and Akron. The Zips finished the season with a 23-1-1 overall mark, earning the No. 2 spot in the final NSCAA/adidas rankings. Match time is set for 3 p.m.
A day later on April 11, the Mountaineers will play host to Division II squad Slippery Rock, the 2009 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions. The Rock registered an 18-4-1 overall mark and finished the season ranked No. 13 nationally in the NSCAA/adidas Division II poll. The two programs, which played last spring, will face off at 1 p.m.
The Mountaineers close out the home portion of their spring schedule with a contest on April 18 at 5 p.m. against Division I Robert Morris. The Colonials, who went 3-14-3, were led by the play of freshman goalkeeper Toba Bolaji, who ranked 14th nationally in save percentage and 50th in goals-against average.
WVU’s final spring match will take place on April 24 at Big Ten powerhouse Penn State. The Nittany Lions were the Big Ten Championship runner-up and earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. WVU and Penn State will play at Jeffrey Field in State College, Pa., at noon.
WVU Men’s Soccer Spring Schedule
3/20 at Crystal Palace Baltimore – 2 p.m.
4/10 vs. Akron – 3 p.m.
4/11 vs. Slippery Rock – 1 p.m.
4/18 vs. Robert Morris – 5 p.m.
4/24 at Penn State – 12 p.m.
