Men's Soccer Opens Friday
August 25, 2011 02:36 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 17-ranked West Virginia University men’s soccer team opens its 2011 campaign with the ACC/BIG EAST Challenge this weekend in Maryland.
The Mountaineers face No. 11 Virginia on Friday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m., at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md. WVU will then travel to College Park, Md., and take on No. 8 Maryland on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s a great event between the ACC and the BIG EAST, arguably two of the top conferences in the nation,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “Clearly Virginia presents a tremendous challenge, and we’re not even thinking about Maryland, who has to deal with St. John’s first.”
Virginia was picked to finish third in the ACC preseason poll and is led by 16th-year coach George Gelnovatch. The Cavaliers return eight starters and 18 letterwinners from the 2010 squad that finished at 11-6-3 and in sixth place in the ACC. UVA currently has the longest active streak in the nation with 30 straight NCAA tournament appearances.
First team all-ACC honoree Brian Ownby tops the list of returning players for Virginia, while forward Will Bates also returns after finishing 2010 with eight goals and four assists. Five players who were starters on the 2009 national championship team also return.
“They were an NCAA tournament team again last year, and they did lose a number of guys to the MLS after their national championship run, but a lot of those pieces are still in place,” LeBlanc says. “It’s Virginia - they recruit well and have the best of everything. They have great coaches, players and facilities, so they will probably be an NCAA team and possibly a Final Four contender.”
Maryland is expected to start three starters from last season, including forward Casey Townsend who finished with nine goals and five assists to lead the Terrapins with 23 points. Townsend was a first team all-ACC pick while garnering TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Season honors. Alex Lee and Taylor Kemp were both mainstays defensively, starting all 23 games on the backline.
The Terrapins were picked to finished second in the 2011 Preseason ACC poll, receiving one first-place vote after reaching the “Elite 8” in the NCAA tournament in 2010.
Sasho Cirovski returns for his 19th season at the helm of Maryland. He has led the Terrapins to 16 NCAA postseason appearances and has won the ACC Tournament championship for four straight seasons.
The Mountaineers were picked to finish third in the Blue Division of the BIG EAST Preseason Poll after finishing 2010 with a loss to eventual national champion Akron in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The squad returns 33 of its 34 goals in 2010. In total, WVU only lost nine of its 116 points from last season.
Senior Franck Tayou returns for his senior season after leading the squad with nine goals last season, including a team-best five game-winners. Juniors Peabo Doue, Shadow Sebele and Eric Schoenle each had five goals, while Sebele led all WVU players with 21 points. Junior Uwem Etuk also was in the double-digit point total with 11, including two goals. Matt Drake and Ruben Garrido each had two goals, while Allan Flott and Uzi Tayou had one each.
West Virginia returns three of its four back line players this fall. Uzi Tayou and Schoenle manned the centerback positions, with Tayou playing every minute of every game, while Schoenle started 20 of the team’s 21 games. All-BIG EAST performer Raymon Gaddis also played every minute of the season and shut down opposing offensive threats while playing right back.
Tickets for the game at the Maryland SoccerPlex can be purchased at the gate, as well as online at www.mdsoccerplex.com. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youths and students.
The Mountaineers face No. 11 Virginia on Friday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m., at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md. WVU will then travel to College Park, Md., and take on No. 8 Maryland on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s a great event between the ACC and the BIG EAST, arguably two of the top conferences in the nation,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “Clearly Virginia presents a tremendous challenge, and we’re not even thinking about Maryland, who has to deal with St. John’s first.”
Virginia was picked to finish third in the ACC preseason poll and is led by 16th-year coach George Gelnovatch. The Cavaliers return eight starters and 18 letterwinners from the 2010 squad that finished at 11-6-3 and in sixth place in the ACC. UVA currently has the longest active streak in the nation with 30 straight NCAA tournament appearances.
First team all-ACC honoree Brian Ownby tops the list of returning players for Virginia, while forward Will Bates also returns after finishing 2010 with eight goals and four assists. Five players who were starters on the 2009 national championship team also return.
“They were an NCAA tournament team again last year, and they did lose a number of guys to the MLS after their national championship run, but a lot of those pieces are still in place,” LeBlanc says. “It’s Virginia - they recruit well and have the best of everything. They have great coaches, players and facilities, so they will probably be an NCAA team and possibly a Final Four contender.”
Maryland is expected to start three starters from last season, including forward Casey Townsend who finished with nine goals and five assists to lead the Terrapins with 23 points. Townsend was a first team all-ACC pick while garnering TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Season honors. Alex Lee and Taylor Kemp were both mainstays defensively, starting all 23 games on the backline.
The Terrapins were picked to finished second in the 2011 Preseason ACC poll, receiving one first-place vote after reaching the “Elite 8” in the NCAA tournament in 2010.
Sasho Cirovski returns for his 19th season at the helm of Maryland. He has led the Terrapins to 16 NCAA postseason appearances and has won the ACC Tournament championship for four straight seasons.
The Mountaineers were picked to finish third in the Blue Division of the BIG EAST Preseason Poll after finishing 2010 with a loss to eventual national champion Akron in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The squad returns 33 of its 34 goals in 2010. In total, WVU only lost nine of its 116 points from last season.
Senior Franck Tayou returns for his senior season after leading the squad with nine goals last season, including a team-best five game-winners. Juniors Peabo Doue, Shadow Sebele and Eric Schoenle each had five goals, while Sebele led all WVU players with 21 points. Junior Uwem Etuk also was in the double-digit point total with 11, including two goals. Matt Drake and Ruben Garrido each had two goals, while Allan Flott and Uzi Tayou had one each.
West Virginia returns three of its four back line players this fall. Uzi Tayou and Schoenle manned the centerback positions, with Tayou playing every minute of every game, while Schoenle started 20 of the team’s 21 games. All-BIG EAST performer Raymon Gaddis also played every minute of the season and shut down opposing offensive threats while playing right back.
Tickets for the game at the Maryland SoccerPlex can be purchased at the gate, as well as online at www.mdsoccerplex.com. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youths and students.
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