The Mountaineers’ home field advantage provided more than just comfort through the first two games of the NCAA Tournament, said head coach Dan Stratford on Tuesday.
As West Virginia gears up to host Loyola Marymount in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, Stratford emphasized just how much of an impact the already sold-out crowd in Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium will make.
Stratford referred to the audience as “a 12th man,” due to its ability to revitalize the players and shift the energy of games in West Virginia’s favor, attributing the team’s round three comeback victory against Vermont to the fans.
“We were probably more alive in that last 10 minutes than we were maybe any other period of the game, and a lot had to do with the fact that, obviously we had a lead to hold onto, but the energy and environment that was created from a packed stand,” Stratford said.
In 11 home matches, the Mountaineers have never lost, experiencing eight wins and three ties at Dick Dlesk. Their second and third round games were both played at home, and both ended in victories by a margin of one score.
The team’s most notable regular season victories, coming against No. 3 Portland and No. 1 Marshall, were also played at home, with the Marshall match’s attendance setting the stadium’s attendance record with 3,147 fans.
Stratford emphasized the record-breaking attendance’s impact and said he hopes to bring that energy back for the quarterfinals.
“We’re already working on getting those bleachers put back in just as we had for the Marshall game early in the season, so I’m hoping that we break another attendance record, go comfortably over 3,000, close to 4,000, (which would) be incredible and give everyone something to cheer about and a reason to jump in their cars and drive to Louisville next week.”
The NCAA Quarterfinals match between WVU and Loyola Marymount begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday. If the Mountaineers win, they will travel to the Men’s College Cup in Louisville for the semifinals on Dec. 8 before the championship game on Dec. 11.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
