MORGANTOWN — Amidst all the college football and basketball news and all the postseason changes, there was some big men’s soccer news this spring. The Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee adopted legislation changing the men’s soccer season into two semesters, which would start on Aug. 1, 2027. The action is supposed to be reviewed by the Division I Cabinet during its June 23-24 meeting.
This change still keeps the maximum of 25 games. A max of 18 will be played in the fall, starting in late August and going until the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The spring season would start in mid-February, with teams playing a max of 10 games, leading up to the NCAA Championship.
This change directly affects West Virginia men’s soccer and head coach Dan Stratford, who’s had a successful program over the years. Last year, the Mountaineers were the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference. WVU lost in overtime in the semifinals to Marshall and then lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. But, throughout the season, men’s soccer was ranked in the top 25.
During athletic director Wren Baker’s spring press conference, he was asked about the change to the season that would affect one of his premier sports.
“I think generally I’m positive about it,” Baker said. “That mainly comes from when I talk to Dan. He’s positive about it.”
This does create staffing issues for the athletic department, though. Now, employees are spread across two semesters instead of one, and there’s now an extra sport and facility being used in the spring. Now, big sports, like baseball, both men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s soccer, would be played in the spring. Men’s soccer’s postseason would also be in the spring.
“There are conversations to be had for how does that adjust the load that’s on our, we run one of the leanest athletic departments in terms of full-time employees in the Big 12,” Baker said. “Certainly, our facilities area, we run them ragged over the course of the year, and our game operations team. I think that’s more of where I spend my time, like, ‘Hey, can we make this work? Can we distribute this load now?’ I think we can.”
The NCAA listed multiple reasons in a press release for the change. It’s supposed to reduce the demands of the student athletes by splitting into two semesters. The split schedule will allow for fewer midweek games, which will cause athletes to miss fewer classes. Schedules become more predictable. It also allows for more recovery time for the athletes from week to week.
It’s for the betterment of the student athletes, which Baker is always in favor of. Every time he sees a postseason change, whether that’s adding more games, like in the College Football Playoff, he’s worried about the exhaustion of the athletes.
Baker admitted he’s not the expert on the whole situation surrounding whether it’s better for the sport, but Stratford thinks it’s a welcome change.
“Dan’s been pretty favorable,” Baker said. “He thinks it would be good for the game, good for growing the game, to split the season.”
