WVU Men's Soccer Picked to Win Sun Belt

West Virginia University Men's Soccer's first season in the SBC is poised to be a great one.

After starting off the preseason at No. 6 nationally, the West Virginia Men's Soccer team has yet another target on its back.

Head coach Dan Stratford's crew was ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

Of the league's nine head coaches, the Mountaineers gained five first place votes, and 75 points overall. The team squeaked by 2019 National Champion Marshall (72 points) and Kentucky (69 votes).

This marks the second consecutive season that Stratford has produced a team ranked No. 1 in its league's preseason poll; 2021, in the MAC, a season that culminated in an Elite Eight appearance began with a No. 1 ranking. Now Stratford is hoping for more such success.

"I think it's good that we have a lot of returning players," he said. "I think with the identity and the culture in general, a lot of our principles of play won't change, even if potentially a formation does, for example.

"I hope the hunger and ambition we had to start last season was because we felt like we had a point to prove. We outworked a ton of teams last season. We wanted it more than a ton of teams last season, and I think the experience I had at Charleston, where we were often the No. 1 team in the country and the head scout for pretty much every team we played, we're going to deal with that a little bit this year as well. 

"The players have to understand that with that kind of recognition comes further responsibility," Stratford added. "No sense of entitlement and no guarantees. Us being sixth in the country right now doesn't afford us any victories at all this season. It's really important that we're aware of that and honestly that the group continues to develop and improve from where we were last season. Our expectations are to go further and to do more."

West Virginia opens its 2022 slate on Aug. 25, against Robert Morris. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

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