West Virginia -  Three And A Half  Star Class Ranking - Marlon LeBlanc has added an eight member recruiting class that he hopes will be able to help resurrect an ailing Mountaineer offense.  Midfielder Travis Pittman from Manassas, Virginia is among the newcomers with the potential to have an immediate impact. LeBlanc stated, “Since we are returning all the players from a defense that was rated one of the best in the NCAA last year, this class was built mostly with players who bring attacking qualities to the table.”  A very young West Virginia team experienced what LeBlanc hopes were temporary growing pains in 2008 when they had a 5-9-5 overall record that was significantly below the 15-3-3 record the Mountaineers achieved in 2006 and the 14-6-2 mark they recorded in 2007.   The good news coming out of Morgantown last year was that the West Virginia defense was rock solid holding opponents to a total of only thirteen goals.  The bad news is that the Mountaineer offense only managed to find the back of the net a total of ten times all year.  Those statistics fit the profile of a team playing not to lose instead of playing to win.  West Virginia will enter the 2009 campaign with a solid core of returning players led by All-Big East First Team goalkeeper junior Zach Johnson and senior defensive midfielder Gift Maworere who has been a starter for the past three seasons.  Johnson is one of the premier netminders in the country and Maworere is the type of player who tends to elevate the play of everyone around him.   Sophomores Alex Silva (2g, 3a), Declan Coll (0g, 1a), Ruben Garrido and junior Chase Dewese who missed the 2008 season due to injury are among other returning midfielders.  Sophomore Adam Mills (2g, 0a) and junior Michael Pitrolo are among returning forwards who should be in the mix for additional playing time in 2009.  Senior Jason Bristol and sophomore Raymond Gaddis return to anchor what should again be a very strong backline.  Junior Dan Hagey, sophomore Nick Claudio and redshirt freshman Connor Gorman who missed the 2008 season due to injury round out the West Virginia backline.   The fact that the Mountaineer sophomores will now have a year of experience under their belts is a big plus for West Virginia.  However,  the problem is that the Mountaineers will still be a relatively young team in 2009 and LeBlanc will have to lean heavily on his new recruits to breathe a little life into a lethargic Mountaineer attack.   Defense will again be the Mountaineers calling card in 2009 but it is unclear who will be the leader and go to guy on the offensive side of the ball.  It is unlikely that West Virginia will have the offensive prowess to blow opponents away in 2009.  Accordingly they will have to rely on mistake free play on the defensive side of the ball and hope that they will be able to take advantage of a high percentage of the scoring opportunities that come that way.  At the end of the day look for the Mountaineers to up their win total a little in 2009 and to pull off an upset or maybe two before the season is over but expectations should not be too high as this is a team that is still undergoing major rebuilding.

 

Nate Adams - Frederick, Maryland - Midfielder - Broadfording Christian Academy - Played club for the Aegean Hawks in 2007 - Played for the Northern Virginia Royals and Casa Mia Bays.

 

Moeryhan “Peabo” Doue - Germantown, Maryland - Forward - Clarksburg High School - First Team All-State selection - Playing for the D.C. United U-18 Academy Team - Maryland ODP team.

 

Uwem Etuk - Herndon, Virginia - Forward - Herndon High School - Playing for the D.C. United U-18 Academy Team -  Member of the USL Super Y League ODP team - Virginia ODP team.

 

Paul Killian - Ellicott City, Maryland -  Goalkeeper - Marriotts Ridge High School - 2008 All-Howard County First Team selection - Second Team All-State selection - Very athletic.

 

Travis Pittman - Manassas, Virginia - Midfielder - Osbourn High School - Virginia All-State First Team selection - Playing for the D.C. United U-18 Academy Team.  U-18 National Team camp. 

 

Eric Schoenle - Yardley, Pennsylvania - Defender - Pennsbury High School - First Team All-Conference - Plays club soccer for the YMS Xplosion - Great work ethic and a ball winner. 

 

Abel “Shadow” Sebele - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Midfielder - Episcopal High - Netted seventy career goals at Episcopal High - Second Team All-State -  Tremendous potential.  A goal scorer. 

 

Matt Strauss - Wilmette, Illinois - Forward - New Trier Township High School - Played club for FC United Premier - A playmaker - Netted fourteen goals and contributed ten assists his senior season.

 

Tuan Doan - Dallas, Texas - Midfielder - Concordia University - North Hills High - ESP participant in 2006 - Member Texas and Region III ODP teams - Played for Solar Soccer Club.