Men's Soccer Opens Home Season
September 01, 2011 12:44 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 10-ranked West Virginia University men’s soccer team opens the 2011 home campaign with the WVU Nike Classic presented by Jersey’s Subs this weekend at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers will take on Binghamton on Friday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a match with No. 25 Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept., 4 at 5 p.m.
“This is a great weekend with the 50th anniversary of the program and the Maniacs kickoff party,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “Part of building a program is creating a culture and I think we’ve started to do that here at WVU in terms of the soccer program. When this place is full, it’s a fortress and we’ve been proving right time and time again. We own the longest home winning streak in the country, winning 10 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and we’re hoping the fans will be out in big numbers to help us win No. 11.”
WVU (1-1-0) comes in after beating No. 11 Virginia, 1-0, last Friday and then falling to No. 4 Maryland, 3-1, on Monday evening. Junior defender Eric Schoenle scored the game-winner against Virginia on a header with 23 seconds remaining in the first half, while freshman forward Andy Bevin opened the scoring at Maryland only seven minutes into the contest.
Binghamton (1-0-0) won its third season opener in the last five seasons with a 3-1 win over Bucknell last weekend. Forwards Jake Keegan and Adam Whitehead each had a goal and an assist in the match with midfielder Tommy Moon opening the scoring just 1:18 into the game. Goalkeeper Chris Hayen played all 90 minutes in goal, making two saves.
The Bearcats are under the direction of 10th-year head coach Paul Marco, a former WVU player, assistant coach and head coach. Marco was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year in 1999 after finishing the season 13-5-1.
“Paul Marco has been a friend of mine for a number of years and we’re pleased that we were able to arrange for his Binghamton team to be here this weekend so he could share in the festivities,” LeBlanc says. “Binghamton is going to present a challenge for our team. They’re a good team with good players and obviously very well coached.”
No. 25 Old Dominion returns seven starters, including four of its leading scorers, from last year’s squad that finished 10-7-2 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Monarchs’ opening match last weekend with Navy was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene.
Heading the list of offensive returnees is forward Chris Harmon, forward Gideon Asante, midfielder Jordan LeBlanc and midfielder Alex Vaughan. Harmon is a preseason All-CAA choice, as he scored seven goals with three assists for 17 points. Asante was a second team All-CAA selection in 2010, as well as a preseason selection this year. Asante recorded four goals with two assists last year and is one of 42 players on the Hermann Trophy Watch List –the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. LeBlanc scored five goals with two assists last year and earned third team All-CAA honors and is also preseason All-CAA honorable mention, while Vaughan scored four goals last season as a freshman.
Alan Dawson is in his 15th season at the helm of Old Dominion and has compiled a 159-89-25 record.
“They are a top 20 team, better than their current ranking,” LeBlanc says. “They’re going to be a very difficult opponent and are well coached by Alan Dawson, another good friend of mine. They’re going to be one of those teams that could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament at the end of the year.”
The weekend will also serve as the 50th anniversary celebration as WVU men’s soccer alumni return to campus for a reunion. As part of the celebration, the team will wear replica jerseys of the 1966 Mountaineer men’s soccer squad that went 13-2 and were the Southern Conference champions. The game has been designated as “Poster Night” with free schedule posters featuring Nick Claudio, Zack Claudio and Yale Tiley, available for fans.
The Mountaineer Maniacs will also help kickoff the 2011 fall sports season with a tailgate party before the Binghamton match. The festivities will begin at 5 p.m. near the marching band parking lot beside Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
There will also be fireworks after the National Anthem, which will be performed by Mountaineer Idol participant Amanda Hughart.
Admission is free for WVU students with a valid ID, $5 for adults, $3 for youths 18 and under and seniors. Tickets are $2 per person for groups of 10 or more.
“This is a great weekend with the 50th anniversary of the program and the Maniacs kickoff party,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “Part of building a program is creating a culture and I think we’ve started to do that here at WVU in terms of the soccer program. When this place is full, it’s a fortress and we’ve been proving right time and time again. We own the longest home winning streak in the country, winning 10 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and we’re hoping the fans will be out in big numbers to help us win No. 11.”
WVU (1-1-0) comes in after beating No. 11 Virginia, 1-0, last Friday and then falling to No. 4 Maryland, 3-1, on Monday evening. Junior defender Eric Schoenle scored the game-winner against Virginia on a header with 23 seconds remaining in the first half, while freshman forward Andy Bevin opened the scoring at Maryland only seven minutes into the contest.
Binghamton (1-0-0) won its third season opener in the last five seasons with a 3-1 win over Bucknell last weekend. Forwards Jake Keegan and Adam Whitehead each had a goal and an assist in the match with midfielder Tommy Moon opening the scoring just 1:18 into the game. Goalkeeper Chris Hayen played all 90 minutes in goal, making two saves.
The Bearcats are under the direction of 10th-year head coach Paul Marco, a former WVU player, assistant coach and head coach. Marco was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year in 1999 after finishing the season 13-5-1.
“Paul Marco has been a friend of mine for a number of years and we’re pleased that we were able to arrange for his Binghamton team to be here this weekend so he could share in the festivities,” LeBlanc says. “Binghamton is going to present a challenge for our team. They’re a good team with good players and obviously very well coached.”
No. 25 Old Dominion returns seven starters, including four of its leading scorers, from last year’s squad that finished 10-7-2 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Monarchs’ opening match last weekend with Navy was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene.
Heading the list of offensive returnees is forward Chris Harmon, forward Gideon Asante, midfielder Jordan LeBlanc and midfielder Alex Vaughan. Harmon is a preseason All-CAA choice, as he scored seven goals with three assists for 17 points. Asante was a second team All-CAA selection in 2010, as well as a preseason selection this year. Asante recorded four goals with two assists last year and is one of 42 players on the Hermann Trophy Watch List –the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. LeBlanc scored five goals with two assists last year and earned third team All-CAA honors and is also preseason All-CAA honorable mention, while Vaughan scored four goals last season as a freshman.
Alan Dawson is in his 15th season at the helm of Old Dominion and has compiled a 159-89-25 record.
“They are a top 20 team, better than their current ranking,” LeBlanc says. “They’re going to be a very difficult opponent and are well coached by Alan Dawson, another good friend of mine. They’re going to be one of those teams that could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament at the end of the year.”
The weekend will also serve as the 50th anniversary celebration as WVU men’s soccer alumni return to campus for a reunion. As part of the celebration, the team will wear replica jerseys of the 1966 Mountaineer men’s soccer squad that went 13-2 and were the Southern Conference champions. The game has been designated as “Poster Night” with free schedule posters featuring Nick Claudio, Zack Claudio and Yale Tiley, available for fans.
The Mountaineer Maniacs will also help kickoff the 2011 fall sports season with a tailgate party before the Binghamton match. The festivities will begin at 5 p.m. near the marching band parking lot beside Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
There will also be fireworks after the National Anthem, which will be performed by Mountaineer Idol participant Amanda Hughart.
Admission is free for WVU students with a valid ID, $5 for adults, $3 for youths 18 and under and seniors. Tickets are $2 per person for groups of 10 or more.
2026 Mountaineer Invitational Preview
Thursday, April 09
Nate Gabriel | April 8
Thursday, April 09
Coach Rich Rodriguez | April 8
Thursday, April 09
Coach Rod West | April 8
Thursday, April 09
