Mountaineers Fall in Spring Opener

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team opened its 2020 spring slate with a 1-0 loss to UMBC on Sunday afternoon at Retriever Soccer Park in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the first of six spring, exhibition matches for the Mountaineers and first-year coach Dan Stratford, WVU allowed an early Retriever goal in the fourth minute, which proved to be the difference.

"The boys have been looking forward to the opportunity to play against someone other than themselves," Stratford said. "With that, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation going into today's game. I think they'll be a little disappointed with how we executed over the course of the 90 minutes, but there were still a lot of positives that we can take and good signs in terms of how we're implementing the system. It's enough for them to stay encouraged and feel like there's something to build on.

"Obviously, we're not too concerned about the result right now, we're just making sure we focus on the performance. We had a lot of young players out there today, who are getting a really significant taste of college soccer against another good, Division I opponent. They'll get continued opportunities as we continue on with the spring."

Senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky played all 90 minutes in goal for the Mountaineers. On the other end of the pitch, the squad finished with five shots on goal in the loss.

Next up, WVU returns to action on Saturday, March 28, when it hosts Ohio Valley at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET, and admission is free for all fans. The match marks the first of four spring matches at home for the Mountaineers.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Steven Tekesky

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