GAME NOTESMORGANTOWN, W.Va.--The West Virginia Illusion will open their first season in the USL W-League this Saturday, May 10, when they host the Charlotte Lady Eagles at 5 p.m. at Duvall-Rosier Field in Fairmont. It will be the first game to kick off around the league in the 2008 season.
“I’m extremely excited. It’s going to be fun and nerve-wracking at the same time,” said defender and assistant coach Christen “Suggie” Seaman.
The Illusion’s first test will be one of their toughest.
Charlotte is coming off of a 8-2-2 campaign in 2007 that just fell short of a post-season berth. It was the first time since the Lady Eagles joined the league in 2000 that they had failed to make the playoffs.
“They’re really starting to understand each other’s thoughts and movements and anticipating where each other are going to be. They’re really starting to come together as a unit,” said Seaman of the Illusion’s progress in practice.
The team only started practicing Monday, while the members of the Lady Eagles toured Ethiopia earlier this year, which provides an additional challenge.
“The first game is going to be a tell-all for us for what we really need to work on. It’s easy to go against your own team and say you’re doing well. But until you get out there against another team, it’s really hard to tell,” said Seaman.
The W-League is the highest level of women’s soccer in North America. The Illusion are one of three new teams among the nine in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference; the league consists of 41 teams in the United States and Canada.
Audio of Saturday’s game will be streamed via westvirginiaillusion.com beginning with the pre-game show at 4:50. Michael Minnich will have the call.
