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Men’s Soccer 2016 Spring Recap
April 26, 2016 06:09 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team has concluded a strong spring season, filled with growth and development.
In five exhibition matches and the surrounding practices, coach Marlon LeBlanc was looking to see his team grow throughout the spring while getting back to some of the basics that have proved so successful for his teams in his 10 seasons.
“We had a really good spring,” said LeBlanc. “We went 3-1-1, but despite having a good record, the results really weren’t the directive of the spring season, it was about development, it was about direction. It was about seeing if we could tie up some loose ends, and I think we did that. We had a number of individuals who had a coming-out party in regards to where they stand on the team. We got back to defining our style, our system, and the way we want to play. We got there, and I’m certainly very pleased with how the spring went.”
WVU played to a 3-1-1 record in the spring.
The Mountaineers opened the year with a 2-1 victory at Pitt and a 2-0 win at VCU. After a close 1-0 loss to an older, more experienced Charleston team, West Virginia and Bucknell played to a 2-2 draw.
VIDEO:
— West Virginia Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) April 3, 2016
Game-winning GOLAZO from #WVUSoccer captain Joey Piatczyc in last nights win vs rival PITT. @WVUSports @espn pic.twitter.com/tv2wwvwULu
The spring concluded with a 3-2 victory in the annual Alumni Match. The spirited contest saw WVU score the first three goals of the game before the alumni fought back with two goals to make it a tight contest at the end.
After graduating a large senior class and awaiting an impressive group of incoming signees, the Mountaineers had just 16 players on the roster this spring. While it meant the bench was shorter during matches, the smaller roster size allowed LeBlanc and his coaching staff the opportunity for more individual development throughout the spring.
“We had 16 returning players after graduating a big class,” added LeBlanc. “It was very easy for us to have individual time with players. The way the college system is set up, it’s a rat-race in the fall. It’s game, recovery, game recovery, game recovery. The spring is about teaching, learning, individual development and for us, team development. Having the small numbers was good, and it meant a lot of playing time for a lot of players. We were able to do a lot of coaching, a lot of individual development. In a lot of ways, I felt like we took a number of positive steps forward from where we were in the fall.”
#WVUSoccer 3-2 Alumni.
— West Virginia Soccer (@WVUMensSoccer) April 23, 2016
Spirited contest saw the OG's fight back from a 3 goal deficit to make it tight at the end. pic.twitter.com/4b71AhzVdB
With the spring slate complete, the attention shifts to summer training and the fall season. Coming off a productive spring, there is plenty of excitement for the season to arrive.
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