MORGANTOW — After finishing the regular season with a record of 11-6, head coach Sam Snyder and the Morgantown High boys’ soccer team won the 2021 Class AAA state soccer title with a Cinderella-esque run in the playoffs with five straight victories.
Now, the Mohigans return to the pitch, eager to defend the title they won a year ago. However, the team will look a little different this season.
The MHS team a year ago was one full of talent and experience in nearly every position on the team. With a starting lineup full of seniors, it’s not entirely shocking that a postseason run was made by last year’s team. Players like Caden Carpenter, Carter Cave, Vivek Sriram and Conor Brumbaugh have all moved on and all played in different thirds of the field.
Coming into this season, with only four starters returning, Snyder and his staff are aiming to simply try and repeat some of what made the product on the field last year work so well.
“We are excited to see new guys step into new roles as they lead the team into a new year. We are also really excited to see if we can repeat the things that made us successful last year and build upon making teams uncomfortable and creating consistent goal scoring opportunities,” Snyder said. “I think we will get to see players who got experience in substitution roles last year step into starting roles. We have four returning starters: Niko (Monroy), James (Percifield), Joel (Beeson) and Sam (Pacyna). I am excited for the four returners to step up their game to another level and lead this team. I am excited to see the remaining positions be taken through competitive practices and play.”
What is Snyder trying to replace exactly? Carpenter netted 20 goals a year ago up front for MHS, leading the team and finishing in the top 10 in the state for goals scored. Goalkeeper Cave has moved on to play at Shepard in college, as well. In fact, every goal in the playoffs last year was either scored or assisted by a senior on the MHS team.
The players on the team now, however, are still state champions, and Snyder knows his team will be up to the task of adjusting to the nucleus of youth in the roster.
“During the preseason period, we were looking for competition against one another to see who could fit what roles and who wanted to work the hardest for this team,” he said.
“I really like our schedule this year. It is set up well where we can grow in a string of games against good competition. The goal every year is to be good throughout the season but be great towards the end. The schedule gives us growth opportunities and balance to stay healthy and grow throughout the season.”
MHS hosts Buckhannon-Upshur to begin the 2022 campaign Wednesday with kickoff set for 8 p.m. at Pony Lewis Field.
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