After shaking up the Big East men’s soccer league in 1999 by ending the season third with an 8-2-1 conference mark and a 13-5-1 overall record, the 2000 preseason coach’s poll predicted West Virginia would finish fifth, its highest ranking in the poll since joining the league.
Further backing up that decision was the fact that the Mountaineers lost only four starters and returned two of its top scorers, senior Craig Patton and junior Chin Orih.
Patton, the school’s first ever player to be selected to an All-Big East first team, lead the ’99 team with 25 points on 10 goals and five assists.
Orih scored eight goals, connected on four assists and concluded the year with 20 points, all after missing seven games.
Despite the team’s strong appearance on paper, certain aspects the Mountaineers benefited from in 1999 were no longer a part of the mix, making many wonder what team would show up for the 2000 season.
On defense and in goal, where the team lost its four starters, head coach Paul Marco had no choice but to fill the positions with young, inexperienced players.
More questions were cast at how the team would respond to playing 13 of their 18 games away from the friendly confines of the Mountaineer Soccer Complex. In 1999, the Mountaineers played 10 games at home and won nine, a school record.
In their first game of the season at the soccer complex, West Virginia temporarily answered the questions by downing St. Francis, Pa., in relatively easy fashion, 3-1.
From there the Mountaineers hit the road and discovered the fate of the 2000 season, one filled with disappointment at nearly every turn.
Over the next month, West Virginia played only three of 11 games at home and compiled a record of 2-8-1.
During that span they lost their first ever to Dusquesne, suffered the worst loss in team history at Rutgers (8-0) and were shut out six times. Bright spots during that period were few but included sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Swarts’ first collegiate victory in net, a 1-1 double overtime tie at Syracuse and a 2-0 homewin over eventual Big East Tournament winner, Boston College.
To round out the year, the Mountaineers collected just one more win, at Radford, and tallied five more losses, including a stretch of four straight.
At season’s end West Virginia was in Big East cellar with a 1-9-1 record in conference play and a 4-13-1 overall mark.
Leading goal scorers for the Mountaineers were sophomore Chris Renner and Jon Scrugg, with three apiece. Renner also tied with teammates Robert Rice and Abdul Caulker for most points, seven.
    
    Women
Each year the West Virginia women’s soccer team sets its sights higher and higher.
And why not? The Mountaineers have proven themselves a legitimate contender with other elite programs throughout head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown’s career.
This past season, West Virginia secured their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Although the Mountaineers suffered a 5-1 loss to Richmond, they finished the year with a distinguished 15-6 record.
Leading into the 2000 season, Izzo-Brown had already compiled an impressive 41-28-7 overall record with a 14-19-4 Big East mark.
The Mountaineers’ first of only four regular-season losses was a 2-0 decision to Purdue. The next three losses were decided by only one goal in overtime. They suffered a 1-2 loss to No. 1 ranked Notre Dame, a 2-3 loss to Seton Hall and a 2-3 loss to Rutgers.
Led by junior midfielder Katie Barnes, West Virginia qualified for the Big East tournament after a 3-1 Georgetown victory. The Mountaineers would eventually lose 1-0 to Connecticut in tournament action.
Barnes, who had a team-high 17 goals and nine assists, earned first-team all regional honors and was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year. She also posted a school record by finishing her career with 43 points.
Sophomore midfielder Rachel Kruze scored six goals and had six assists while freshman forward Chrissie Abbott followed with five.
West Virginia’s goalkeeper Melissa Haire proved worthy of her starting position and was a key ingredient in the Mountaineers’ success with 88 saves.