Mountaineers Begin Preseason Practice
August 07, 2018 05:55 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team commenced preseason practice on Tuesday, 17 days ahead of the season opener.
The Mountaineers' first practice took place this morning, followed by a strength training session. The squad returned to the practice field this afternoon.
"The energy is fantastic; the attitude is great," coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "The culture within our team right now is about as good as it's ever been. We have 24 guys that are very, very committed. They know we're going to push them, and they're accepting of it. I'm pleased with the mentality of the group right now and really looking forward to getting to work."
Today's practices were held at the men's soccer practice field, on a new grass surface that was installed this summer.
"We have a couple of standards that we try to go through, in terms of our beep test and trying to get some metrics on the guys, and that was good," LeBlanc said. "Then, we got in some small-sided play, letting the guys get a feel for the new surface that's out here, allowing them to ease themselves into preseason a little bit. Things come very quick and rapid for us, but the goal is the 24th, and we have that amount of time that we're going to utilize. So, we're not going to try and get too much done in one day, but slowly break them in. It was a good first start, the energy was fantastic."
The preseason schedule includes three exhibition matches leading up to the season opener on Aug. 24, at the College of Charleston. WVU will travel to Virginia Tech for an exhibition contest on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 4 p.m. ET. West Virginia's final two preseason matches are at home, with the annual Gold/Blue Intrasquad on Monday, Aug. 13, before a matchup against Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, Aug. 19, at 2 p.m.
Both home games will be held at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, and admission is free for all fans.
As LeBlanc begins his 13th season at the helm, 16 lettermen return to the pitch for WVU in 2018, including nine that played in at least 15 matches last season.
The 24-man roster features four seniors – goalkeeper Stephen Banick, forward Rushawn Larmond and midfielders Joey Piatczyc and Jorge Quintanilla – along with seven newcomers: Jacob Castro, Josh DiMatteo, Nicholas Manno, Ftsum Michael, Kedus Michael, Andres Muriel Albino and Nic Short.
Along with the four seniors, the returning Mountaineers include junior defenders Ryan Kellogg, a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honoree and Pascal Derwaritsch, who was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Tournament Team a year ago, and junior midfielder Sebastian Garcia-Herreros, a MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete last season. Piatczyc, a two-time All-MAC Team honoree, also is back on the pitch for the Mountaineers after missing the 2017 season with an injury.
WVU's 18-match 2018 schedule is highlighted by home matchups against Pitt and Cincinnati, as well as MAC foes SIU Edwardsville and Bowling Green, while the road slate features contests at perennial national-championship contenders Akron and Maryland. The complete schedule can be found on WVUsports.com.
WVU soccer scarf ticket packages are on sale. In its fourth year, the scarf ticket package includes a scarf and 10 tickets to be used at any men's or women's soccer match during the 2018 regular season. Packages are just $30 and are available while supplies last. To order, visit WVUGAME.com or call 1-800-WVU GAME. This year's winning scarf design says "Mountaineer Soccer" on one side, with gold, blue and white checkered pattern on the other. The soccer teams' Flying WV shield also is on both sides of the scarf.
Single match tickets also are on sale for all eight regular-season home matches. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each, while tickets are $3 for groups of 10 or more. At the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff on game day. Fans are encouraged to order tickets in advance online at WVUGAME.com to avoid lines at stadium gates on game day.
Tickets for WVU students are free with a valid student I.D.
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer and @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
The Mountaineers' first practice took place this morning, followed by a strength training session. The squad returned to the practice field this afternoon.
"The energy is fantastic; the attitude is great," coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "The culture within our team right now is about as good as it's ever been. We have 24 guys that are very, very committed. They know we're going to push them, and they're accepting of it. I'm pleased with the mentality of the group right now and really looking forward to getting to work."
Today's practices were held at the men's soccer practice field, on a new grass surface that was installed this summer.
"We have a couple of standards that we try to go through, in terms of our beep test and trying to get some metrics on the guys, and that was good," LeBlanc said. "Then, we got in some small-sided play, letting the guys get a feel for the new surface that's out here, allowing them to ease themselves into preseason a little bit. Things come very quick and rapid for us, but the goal is the 24th, and we have that amount of time that we're going to utilize. So, we're not going to try and get too much done in one day, but slowly break them in. It was a good first start, the energy was fantastic."
The preseason schedule includes three exhibition matches leading up to the season opener on Aug. 24, at the College of Charleston. WVU will travel to Virginia Tech for an exhibition contest on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 4 p.m. ET. West Virginia's final two preseason matches are at home, with the annual Gold/Blue Intrasquad on Monday, Aug. 13, before a matchup against Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, Aug. 19, at 2 p.m.
Both home games will be held at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, and admission is free for all fans.
As LeBlanc begins his 13th season at the helm, 16 lettermen return to the pitch for WVU in 2018, including nine that played in at least 15 matches last season.
The 24-man roster features four seniors – goalkeeper Stephen Banick, forward Rushawn Larmond and midfielders Joey Piatczyc and Jorge Quintanilla – along with seven newcomers: Jacob Castro, Josh DiMatteo, Nicholas Manno, Ftsum Michael, Kedus Michael, Andres Muriel Albino and Nic Short.
Along with the four seniors, the returning Mountaineers include junior defenders Ryan Kellogg, a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honoree and Pascal Derwaritsch, who was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Tournament Team a year ago, and junior midfielder Sebastian Garcia-Herreros, a MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete last season. Piatczyc, a two-time All-MAC Team honoree, also is back on the pitch for the Mountaineers after missing the 2017 season with an injury.
WVU's 18-match 2018 schedule is highlighted by home matchups against Pitt and Cincinnati, as well as MAC foes SIU Edwardsville and Bowling Green, while the road slate features contests at perennial national-championship contenders Akron and Maryland. The complete schedule can be found on WVUsports.com.
WVU soccer scarf ticket packages are on sale. In its fourth year, the scarf ticket package includes a scarf and 10 tickets to be used at any men's or women's soccer match during the 2018 regular season. Packages are just $30 and are available while supplies last. To order, visit WVUGAME.com or call 1-800-WVU GAME. This year's winning scarf design says "Mountaineer Soccer" on one side, with gold, blue and white checkered pattern on the other. The soccer teams' Flying WV shield also is on both sides of the scarf.
Single match tickets also are on sale for all eight regular-season home matches. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each, while tickets are $3 for groups of 10 or more. At the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff on game day. Fans are encouraged to order tickets in advance online at WVUGAME.com to avoid lines at stadium gates on game day.
Tickets for WVU students are free with a valid student I.D.
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer and @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
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