The Fayette Tribune, Oak Hill, W.Va.

Sports

August 1, 2012

Tech faces tough men’s soccer slate

By Jason Hendrix For The Fayette Tribune

MONTGOMERY — The WVU Tech men’s soccer team will face a tough challenge in 2012 under the direction of head coach Luis Cortell. The Golden Bears will have a 20-game (two exhibitions, 18 regular season) schedule against quality opponents.

Tech will face seven Top 25 teams, four of those being in the Top 10 in the country at the season’s outset.

Tech will play a preseason exhibition match on Friday, Aug. 17 at noon versus West Virginia Wesleyan at Schoenbaum Stadium in Charleston. Next, the season officially kicks off on the road in a non-conference match against the No. 4-ranked National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) team, Ohio Christian, on Aug. 18.

Another home exhibition, against Davis and Elkins College, is set for Aug. 31. Conference tournament finalist Point Park University will then visit the Golden Bears on Sept. 2.

After a brief home stand, Tech then hits the road for seven games, including a Sept. 11 outing against Concord University.

“Our squad did not perform on the level we had desired while on the road last season, compiling a 2-4-1 record, but we are returning 17 lettermen from last season that we are leaning on for veteran experience while competing in these environments,” Cortell says. “As a whole, this will allow our team to compete at a higher level.”

“At first glance, our schedule would seem to be less challenging when compared to last year’s records of our opponents,” Cortell continued. “This, however, could not be farther from the truth.

“We are underdogs in most of these games, and we enjoy having the label. It gives us an edge and something to prove.”

Other contests include a Sept. 28 affair at national tournament qualifier and WVU Tech’s highest ranked opponent, No. 3 Ohio Mid-Western.

The final home stand occurs on Oct. 21 and 28, when Tech wraps up the regular season against Southern State Community College and Pikeville College, respectively. The Pikeville match will bring an end to Homecoming weekend festivities.

While the Bears will have their work cut out for them, Cortell is hopeful for a productive year. “We know we are a smaller team, but we will not use that as an excuse to hinder our chances to win. We are a team that will train hard, create a system of play that is adequate for the kind of players that we have on the squad, and will take care for all of our student-athletes on and off the field.”

“Overall, the ultimate goal is to qualify and participate in postseason play,” he added. “My job as a coach is to find the strongest opponents that we can play against to see what kind of team we are.

“For [me] it’s not about playing the best soccer at the beginning of the season, it’s about playing the best soccer at the end of the season in hopes of a chance for postseason play.”

(Hendrix is the Tech sports information director.)

Text Only
Sports