Well, the weather might provide a significant obstacle, but your men’s soccer team had has a lofty goal for this evening’s nationally televised game against Connecticut.

“I’ve challenged the fans,” LeBlanc said. “We’re looking for 4,000. We had 3,000 for Santa Barbara so I don’t think it’s too crazy to think a campus with 28,000 students, the football team on the road and a national TV game can put 4,000 in the stands.”

Too bad it’s not “Poncho Night” at the stadium. I’m actually worried. Not only does the rain threaten to keep the Mountaineers from hitting 4,000 … or even 2,000 … but a fully fueled bandwagon may idle quietly in the parking lot.

Things had lined up so well.

Friday night. WVU football on the road. University High on the road. National television. Sizable home-field advantage.

“Atmosphere is different than just sheer numbers and our kids feed off that,” LeBlanc said. “The fact that we don’t have a big track between the field and the stands like a lot of other places do and our fans are literally just off the touch line is a certain atmosphere that comes along with playing on that field.

“It’s a real big field and a big stadium and when the stands are packed it can feel awful small. It can be a very intimidating place to play.”

More? Sure. Ranked opponent. Ranked Mountaineers. Sizzling rivalry. Top spot in the Blue Division at stake. A team to watch at the place to be. For a dollar!

“For as long as I’ve been here – and we’ve had some good teams – this is the first time I’ve had people tell me we’re fun to watch,” LeBlanc said. “We’ve got a diverse group of guys from different parts of the country and different parts of the world.

“This could be the best group of talent we’ve ever had. For that reason alone, even the casual fan could come out and appreciate what the kids are doing. They do some amazing things with the ball.”

Speaking of amazing. Travis Pittman and I formed our alliance.

“The Manassassins, dude. I like it,” he said.

The union of two Manassas, Va., exports and Osbourn High graduates seemed very familiar. It felt good. It felt right. We spoke briefly about the third — and still prospective — member of our stable, Brandon Hogan. We’re hopeful we can get him to join.

“We know eachother. We talk on Facebook sometimes. We’ve texted a couple times. He’s a good guy. I know a couple of his friends back home.

“There’s a bond, definitely. He’s someone who helped me out when I’d ask a question about the campus or the town. He’s been a good mentor for me.”

No truth to the rumor T-shirts are being designed and readied for distribution. That said, we did kick the idea around. We were thinking cartoon caricatures. He’d be holding a soccer ball, Hogan his helmet. I couldn’t come up with a prop for my pose.

“Laptop,” Pittman said.

And you see why there’s no truth to the rumor.