MORGANTOWN — Dan Stratford’s patience has been on full display since he was named head coach of the WVU men’s soccer team in January 2020.
Spring scrimmages were wiped out last year due to COVID-19, which ultimately filtered into the fall regular season, which was postponed until this spring. Almost 13 months since Stratford was hired from the University of Charleston to coach his alma mater, he was finally ready to take to the pitch.
But then the season opener against Coastal Carolina last Saturday was canceled because of virus issues at CCU.
Finally, WVU and Stratford are set to make their debuts Friday at Charlotte, and it’s been a long time coming. The last match for the Mountaineers was in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019.
“When the guys returned in August, we knew almost immediately that we wouldn’t be having a regular season in the fall,” Stratford said. “To an extent, we have been working toward the beginning of our season since August. We were really pleased with what we were able to achieve during that period of time. The six intersquad games gave us the opportunity to see the team in an 11 vs. 11 format, in our kits and on our home field, which was very important. Hopefully, when we reach our first game this season, it’s not all brand-new to them.”
Without the Coastal Carolina match, the Mountaineers scrimmaged Old Dominion – a 2-1 road win – instead last Saturday, which helped Stratford get a better idea of what his lineup will look like, needing to replace seven seniors from the 2019 squad that was the school’s first Mid-Atlantic Conference championship.
However, five players who scored goals last season are back, as well as goalkeeper Steven Tekesky, a senior. Still, even after a scrimmage, Stratford can’t say for sure what he has available.
“The reality of it is, this group hasn’t played in 450 days, give or take, against another team in a competitive game,” he said. “It’s going to take two or three games for us to get that back and get our physical levels up to where they need to be.
“I think everyone was just pleased to be playing again, to have a 90-minute game, to be kicking someone other than ourselves. “
WVU will play a 12-match schedule, including two nonconference games against Charlotte and Marshall. The remaining 10 games will be a round robin against the rest of the MAC. The Mountaineers will open at Dick Dlesk Soccer Soccer on March 6, hosting Northern Illinois.
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