2019 Season Preview

August 28, 2019 06:53 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Expectations and optimism fill the air for the West Virginia University men's soccer team in 2019.

One year removed from a 14-win campaign, Mid-American Conference regular-season championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Mountaineers return a large chunk of the core that has taken the program to its recent success. In all, seven seniors are set to lead the squad this fall, all of whom having plenty of big-match experience under their belts. And with 12 newcomers entering the fold, the Mountaineers' leadership will certainly be on display early on.

WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc returns for his 14th season at the helm in Morgantown. The 2018 MAC Coach of the Year led his program to a 5-0 mark in the conference last season, and he fully intends to get his veterans reconnected and his new faces acclimated to the standards of West Virginia soccer.

The Mountaineers return 13 players who saw action in at least eight matches in 2018, including nine who started at least 15 times. That alone has helped WVU get back into the swing of things heading into the regular season.

"We have a lot of guys coming back, obviously, so we've been able to jump into some tactical things a little earlier than what you can with a young group," LeBlanc said. "For the most part, the work ethic, the preparation, the understanding of what the standards are from an experienced group is always a positive. At the end of the day, we know what we have with this year's team."

WVU's 28-man roster is once again an eclectic group. The team hails from nine different states and six countries. The Mountaineers feature 10 players who scored a goal a year ago and return 29 of their 41 total goals from last season. WVU also returns 2018 All-MAC First Team goalkeeper Steven Tekesky, as well as second-team selections Albert Andres-Llop, Pascal Derwaritsch, Ryan Kellogg and Andres Muriel Albino.

The Mountaineers' 17-match schedule features nine home games at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. After a season-opening road trip to Monmouth (Aug. 30) and Delaware (Sept. 2), West Virginia plays it next three matches in Morgantown, featuring fixtures against Wright State (Sept. 7), Charlotte (Sept. 10) and Coastal Carolina (Sept. 13). WVU's September concludes with trips to Cincinnati (Sept. 17) and Ohio State (Sept. 24), as well as home contests against Dayton (Sept. 21) and Penn (Sept. 28).

Following a home, nonconference tilt against San Diego on Oct. 4, MAC play begins with home games against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois on Oct. 13, and 18, respectively. From there, three straight road games at American (Oct. 22), Bowling Green (Oct. 26) and SIU Edwardsville (Nov. 2) lead into the regular-season finale at home against perennial power Akron on Nov. 7.

There's no doubt that many challenges await the Mountaineers this fall. But with a game-by-game approach on the backs of numerous proven, talented veterans and aided by the full-force, positive momentum in the program, West Virginia is primed to make 2019 another memorable season for the history-rich side.

"Ultimately, what we've been able to do over the last few years is change the thinking of the group and get them away from thinking about the end result and focusing them on what's in front of them," LeBlanc said. "If we can do that, I think the end result will take care of itself."

Position-by-Position Breakdown

Goalkeepers

The Mountaineers have had a plethora of talented netminders manning the back for years and 2019 should be no different. Junior Steven Tekesky returns for his third season as the WVU starter. And after finishing No. 11 nationally in total saves (86) last season, the confidence level of the Raymore, Missouri, native is high.

"Steven has been a really good goalkeeper for us," LeBlanc said. "We're a program that has produced some really good goalkeepers, and he's becoming the next one in line for that. He isn't necessarily what you'd consider to be a prototypical player at that position – he's not 6-foot-5 with super long arms – but what he does do is manage the game, knowing what his role is and taking care of the ball. He's the type of kid that, most importantly, can lead with his voice. A goalkeeper who can do that can make everyone's job a little easier."

Tekesky enters the campaign ranked No. 7 in program history in career wins, with 17. He and the Mountaineers hope to add to that number throughout the course of the new year.

Along with the junior, all-conference performer in goal, redshirt freshman Jacob Castro and freshman William Gallagher are waiting in the wings for the Gold and Blue. They understand their roles and remain ready for whenever called upon.

Defenders

In front of Tekesky, the Mountaineers are feeling good about the experience and talent level of their back line. Seniors Albert Andres-Llop, Sebastian Garcia-Herreros and Logan Lucas will be mainstays in the lineup and have combined to start nearly 150 matches over the past three seasons. Junior Kevin Morris isn't short on experience, either, having started 31 times in his first two years on campus. Together, all four played more than 1,000 minutes apiece last fall.

"The back line is probably our most experienced area," LeBlanc said. "That's important when you have a team that wants to win trophies. The old adage is that defenses win championships. They've all grown together, which has been nice, and they all add multiple dimensions to our team. They all have their intangibles, but they all know how to communicate with each other. Defending for us is collective – it's not just about the back four – but it's the same with the attacking side of things, and these guys have elements that he can bring to the game there, as well."

The skillset of the Mountaineers' back end extends to more than just in the defensive third. Andres-Llop finished second on the team with eight assists last season, while Garcia-Herreros produced seven more. Morris scored three goals and dished out three assists in 2018, while Lucas add four additional points on the year.

Along with that group, sophomore Nicholas Manno and freshmen Kyle Lehnert, Dominic Miller and Connor Wilson are set to add depth for the Mountaineers on defense this season.

Midfielders

Another major area of strength is in the Mountaineer midfield, where several playmakers return for another year. Seniors Pascal Derwaritsch, Andres Muriel Albino and Ryan Kellogg head the group, while junior Tsubasa Takada and a big group of newcomers follow close behind.

Derwaritsch and Muriel Albino scored six goals apiece last season, and Kellogg bagged four more. In all, the trio combined for 37 points (16g, 5a) for West Virginia last season.

"I think we have a lot of good players in the midfield," LeBlanc said. "We have guys like Pascal (Derwaritsch) who has scored a lot of goals for us there and Andres Muriel Albino, who has as well. Tsubasa (Takada) is a junior now, and then we have some new guys that are going to come in and give us that depth. We have a number of guys there that have played for us in those positions, and those are the guys that our system is built around. It's without a doubt a strength of ours."

Depth will play a major role in the midfield this season, as well, and WVU is built for it. Junior Pau Jimenez Albelda, a transfer from NJIT, as well as freshman Luke McCormick, look to make immediate impacts, while several others also are working their way toward additional playing time. Junior Nic Short and freshmen Sam Morgan and Coen Wilson fit that bill.

Forwards

The Mountaineers' attacking style was on full display in 2018, with the group setting program records for assists (51) and shots on goal (129). Highlighted in those numbers was the work of the team's forwards, which the team hopes to duplicate again this fall. Led by senior Ethan Shim, who scored three goals and added two assists in 21 games last season, and sophomore Josh DiMatteo (3g, 1a), the Mountaineers believe they can again have some spark up top.

"We have a number of different players who can play up front for us," LeBlanc said. "I don't think we necessarily know if we have a 10-12-goal scorer yet, but I think we have a lot of guys that have the capability to score goals, and we need them to score goals. After scoring 40-plus goals last year, I think we have a lot of guys that have confidence in the final third."

Junior Spenser Myers and redshirt freshman Kedus Michael are back, while a big group of newcomers complete the forward group. Sophomore Tony Pineda, the 2018 Big South Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America Second Team selection, has transferred in from High Point, while freshmen Rodrigo Robles Grajera and Morgantown native Joseph Biafora have a long history of scoring goals at the prep and club level. Added to that mix is Brian Bond, one of 10 freshmen on this year's roster.

Indeed, it appears WVU again has what it takes to light up the scoreboard with its possession-based mindset.