Photo by: Steven Prunty
Mountaineers Cap Preseason at Mount St. Mary’s
August 23, 2019 11:33 AM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 20/23-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team closes preseason competition on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Mount St. Mary's. Kickoff at Waldron Family Stadium in Emmitsburg, Maryland, is set for 2 p.m. ET.
Saturday's contest marks the Mountaineers' third and final exhibition match leading up to the start of the 2019 season. The squad also hosted Virginia Tech on Aug. 16, and held its annual Gold-Blue Intrasquad on Aug. 19. WVU opens the regular season on Friday, Aug. 30, at Monmouth.
West Virginia returns to the pitch following a 14-7-0 campaign in 2018. The squad went a perfect 5-0 in the Mid-American Conference, winning the regular-season conference championship. The Mountaineers also advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time since 2011.
WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc, the 2018 MAC Coach of the Year, enters his 14th season at the helm in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are set to return 10 different goal scorers and 29 of their 41 total goals scored from last season. In all, nine players who started at least 15 matches a year ago are back this fall.
The Mountaineers rank No. 20 in the College Soccer News Preseason National Poll, while the squad was slotted No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25. WVU finished the year ranked in each of men's college soccer's major polls, including as high as No. 17 by Soccer America, last season.
The Mount is led by second-year coach Bryan Cunningham. Mount St. Mary's finished 2-10-4 last season, including a 1-5-2 mark inside the Northeast Conference, in the program's first year of competition since being disbanded in 2012. This year, the Mount was picked to finish seventh in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Saturday also marks the second consecutive season the two teams will meet in preseason action. The Mount traveled to Morgantown for an exhibition match last season.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Saturday's contest marks the Mountaineers' third and final exhibition match leading up to the start of the 2019 season. The squad also hosted Virginia Tech on Aug. 16, and held its annual Gold-Blue Intrasquad on Aug. 19. WVU opens the regular season on Friday, Aug. 30, at Monmouth.
West Virginia returns to the pitch following a 14-7-0 campaign in 2018. The squad went a perfect 5-0 in the Mid-American Conference, winning the regular-season conference championship. The Mountaineers also advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time since 2011.
WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc, the 2018 MAC Coach of the Year, enters his 14th season at the helm in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are set to return 10 different goal scorers and 29 of their 41 total goals scored from last season. In all, nine players who started at least 15 matches a year ago are back this fall.
The Mountaineers rank No. 20 in the College Soccer News Preseason National Poll, while the squad was slotted No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25. WVU finished the year ranked in each of men's college soccer's major polls, including as high as No. 17 by Soccer America, last season.
The Mount is led by second-year coach Bryan Cunningham. Mount St. Mary's finished 2-10-4 last season, including a 1-5-2 mark inside the Northeast Conference, in the program's first year of competition since being disbanded in 2012. This year, the Mount was picked to finish seventh in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Saturday also marks the second consecutive season the two teams will meet in preseason action. The Mount traveled to Morgantown for an exhibition match last season.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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