Tough Challenge
November 05, 2011 08:15 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – When the West Virginia University men’s soccer team takes the field this afternoon for its BIG EAST Quarterfinal match against St. John’s, it will be facing one of the most successful teams in BIG EAST postseason history.
With a conference-record eight BIG EAST Championships and an all-time tournament record of 31-15-5, there is no question that the Red Storm will present the Mountaineers with a tough task.
Add in the fact that head coach Marlon LeBlanc believes that the high level of parity in men’s college soccer today allows for any team to win on any given day - more so now than ever before - and there’s no doubting Sunday’s match will be a great one to watch.
“There are so many teams that are capable of beating anybody,” LeBlanc said. “I still believe that the cream rises to the top at the end of the day and your top programs remain your top programs. Teams can grind out results and the testament to the best leagues is that those teams do it over the course of three or four months.”
LeBlanc’s squad is proof of that.
The team had one of the toughest schedules in college soccer this year, having battled against seven ranked teams including a then-top-ranked Connecticut team that suffered its first loss of the season in late October at the hands of the Mountaineers.
According to LeBlanc, the pressure a team feels heading into big games like that is now welcomed, not worrisome.
“When you get to this stage in the season, it’s not that big of a deal anymore,” he said. “We didn’t just play ranked teams at home; we went on the road to Maryland, UC Santa Barbara and Notre Dame. We learned a lot about ourselves in those environments where we played in front of big crowds against the best teams in the country. We’ve taken our lumps along the way, but we also won some big games on the road as well.”
Two of those big games came last weekend when the Mountaineers traveled to Seton Hall and Notre Dame, earning much-needed victories to achieve a No. 2 seeding in the Blue Division. Because of this, they were able to earn a first-round bye and received the opportunity to host a quarterfinal match.
“Those were two big wins on the road,” LeBlanc said. “We put UConn and Marquette in a position where they were going to have to catch us because we went to the top of the table after winning those two games. This league is crazy; it’s a good league. You have eight teams in the top 32 of the RPI fighting and battling.”
Those wins were crucial for a couple of reasons, one being that they gave a few key Mountaineer players time to recover from injury, providing an important advantage over other teams who didn’t have that extra week, and another being implications for the NCAA tournament.
“If anything, when you put out a resume like we have done this year, we’ve done pretty good,” LeBlanc detailed. “We’re sitting at No. 18 in the RPI right now, so we have an opportunity in the BIG EAST tournament to maybe play ourselves into a top 16, which gets you a bye and a second round home game, or even looking at playing all the way to the quarterfinals at home. There is still a lot for us to go out there and achieve, but we have had some big wins this year and we haven’t had a bad loss.”
Looking back on the team’s season, it’s not surprising that the Mountaineers have experienced this much success. The high level of competition and toughness is something that exists annually for West Virginia as LeBlanc always strives to create a challenging lineup.
This year, though, it was the versatility and ability to adapt quickly that had the Mountaineers rising up to meet high standards with consistent success.
“I think the versatility is what makes us different this year,” reiterated LeBlanc. “We’re able to fix problems a little quicker than we had in the past and it’s not necessarily our first choice of how we want to do things, but it is a quality attribute that we have in the number of guys who can do different things for us. The guys are willing to do those things and a lot of times guys aren’t willing to be put in different positions in order to benefit the team and we have a number of guys who put the team first.”
Putting the team first is a direct result of the squad’s chemistry. With several newcomers added to this year’s roster, it was crucial for the team to develop and learn to utilize every skill that each player had to offer. Once that had been achieved, it became a simple matter of reinforcing the lessons taught on the field.
“We’re always teaching and are probably teaching right now more than we’re able to over the course of the season because you’re just constantly getting ready for the next game,” said LeBlanc. “Now is a time where you’re trying to recover more so you’re spending a lot more time with film, walking through things and making sure you have details taken care of.”
Rest assured West Virginia will have the details taken care of when they step onto the field Sunday afternoon. LeBlanc is not taking St. John’s lightly, as he fully understands the challenges the Red Storm brings to the field for his team.
“There is no doubt that St. John’s comes to our field as the favorite,” he concluded. “You’re talking about a team that’s won more BIG EAST championships than any other school, a team that has been to 21 straight BIG EAST tournaments and Dave Mazur, who is arguably one of the greatest coaches in college soccer history. I have a lot of respect for their program, what they do and who they are. Certainly they are a program that’s been at the top of the league for many years and we’re going to have to be at our best to beat a team like St. John’s.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. following the BIG EAST women’s championship match between West Virginia and Louisville.
With a conference-record eight BIG EAST Championships and an all-time tournament record of 31-15-5, there is no question that the Red Storm will present the Mountaineers with a tough task.
Add in the fact that head coach Marlon LeBlanc believes that the high level of parity in men’s college soccer today allows for any team to win on any given day - more so now than ever before - and there’s no doubting Sunday’s match will be a great one to watch.
“There are so many teams that are capable of beating anybody,” LeBlanc said. “I still believe that the cream rises to the top at the end of the day and your top programs remain your top programs. Teams can grind out results and the testament to the best leagues is that those teams do it over the course of three or four months.”
LeBlanc’s squad is proof of that.
The team had one of the toughest schedules in college soccer this year, having battled against seven ranked teams including a then-top-ranked Connecticut team that suffered its first loss of the season in late October at the hands of the Mountaineers.
According to LeBlanc, the pressure a team feels heading into big games like that is now welcomed, not worrisome.
“When you get to this stage in the season, it’s not that big of a deal anymore,” he said. “We didn’t just play ranked teams at home; we went on the road to Maryland, UC Santa Barbara and Notre Dame. We learned a lot about ourselves in those environments where we played in front of big crowds against the best teams in the country. We’ve taken our lumps along the way, but we also won some big games on the road as well.”
Two of those big games came last weekend when the Mountaineers traveled to Seton Hall and Notre Dame, earning much-needed victories to achieve a No. 2 seeding in the Blue Division. Because of this, they were able to earn a first-round bye and received the opportunity to host a quarterfinal match.
“Those were two big wins on the road,” LeBlanc said. “We put UConn and Marquette in a position where they were going to have to catch us because we went to the top of the table after winning those two games. This league is crazy; it’s a good league. You have eight teams in the top 32 of the RPI fighting and battling.”
Those wins were crucial for a couple of reasons, one being that they gave a few key Mountaineer players time to recover from injury, providing an important advantage over other teams who didn’t have that extra week, and another being implications for the NCAA tournament.
“If anything, when you put out a resume like we have done this year, we’ve done pretty good,” LeBlanc detailed. “We’re sitting at No. 18 in the RPI right now, so we have an opportunity in the BIG EAST tournament to maybe play ourselves into a top 16, which gets you a bye and a second round home game, or even looking at playing all the way to the quarterfinals at home. There is still a lot for us to go out there and achieve, but we have had some big wins this year and we haven’t had a bad loss.”
Looking back on the team’s season, it’s not surprising that the Mountaineers have experienced this much success. The high level of competition and toughness is something that exists annually for West Virginia as LeBlanc always strives to create a challenging lineup.
This year, though, it was the versatility and ability to adapt quickly that had the Mountaineers rising up to meet high standards with consistent success.
“I think the versatility is what makes us different this year,” reiterated LeBlanc. “We’re able to fix problems a little quicker than we had in the past and it’s not necessarily our first choice of how we want to do things, but it is a quality attribute that we have in the number of guys who can do different things for us. The guys are willing to do those things and a lot of times guys aren’t willing to be put in different positions in order to benefit the team and we have a number of guys who put the team first.”
Putting the team first is a direct result of the squad’s chemistry. With several newcomers added to this year’s roster, it was crucial for the team to develop and learn to utilize every skill that each player had to offer. Once that had been achieved, it became a simple matter of reinforcing the lessons taught on the field.
“We’re always teaching and are probably teaching right now more than we’re able to over the course of the season because you’re just constantly getting ready for the next game,” said LeBlanc. “Now is a time where you’re trying to recover more so you’re spending a lot more time with film, walking through things and making sure you have details taken care of.”
Rest assured West Virginia will have the details taken care of when they step onto the field Sunday afternoon. LeBlanc is not taking St. John’s lightly, as he fully understands the challenges the Red Storm brings to the field for his team.
“There is no doubt that St. John’s comes to our field as the favorite,” he concluded. “You’re talking about a team that’s won more BIG EAST championships than any other school, a team that has been to 21 straight BIG EAST tournaments and Dave Mazur, who is arguably one of the greatest coaches in college soccer history. I have a lot of respect for their program, what they do and who they are. Certainly they are a program that’s been at the top of the league for many years and we’re going to have to be at our best to beat a team like St. John’s.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. following the BIG EAST women’s championship match between West Virginia and Louisville.
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