Waynesburg University Men’s Soccer – Coach Treg Lunger

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Lunger from the Waynesburg Men’s Program in Pennsylvania. We talk about how he recruits nationally while focusing heavily on fit, relationships, and finding players who will thrive in their culture. He describes the unique location of Waynesburg, with access to multiple states, Pittsburgh, Morgantown, and endless outdoor activities while still offering a close-knit campus community. Lastly, we discuss the program’s high-performance environment, player development model, and the intentional support systems they provide to help student-athletes succeed on and off the field. Learn more about Waynesburg University Men’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Lunger at Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania. Welcome, Coach. 

Coach: Thanks for having me, Matt. Appreciate it. 

Matt: Yeah, thanks for being here. I’ve, I’ve, I’ve probably gotten gas in Waynesburg, but, uh, never, never, never stopped to, to see the school.

I, I, I drove, uh, drove 79 many, many a time. Sure. 

Coach: Yeah, yeah. All the way up the state and all the way down. 

Matt: Yeah. There it is. Um, well, thanks for being here. I mean, we’re talking end, end of May. Um, so as, as a D3 school there in, in southwestern PA, kinda on the men’s side especially, that tends to be on the… a little bit later on the recruiting side than the girls, what…

where are you at? Are you locked and loaded, or are you still trying to get that last one or two class of ’26 kid, uh, over the line? 

Coach: Yeah, I mean, it’s a good question. Um, we’re pretty much done. Uh, I think for us, [00:01:00] this is gonna be one of, if not the largest recruiting classes I’ve had in my five-year cycle so far.

Um, so we’re really excited. I mean, traditionally, we’re pretty robust in terms of our, our range. Um, we’re 14 different states currently on the team. Um, and this incoming class gets us two additional ones, plus I think it’s six states total between what we have right now. So, um, yeah, I mean, we’d be open to the right player at the right time, right?

But I, I… for now, I think we’re pretty set on where we are. 

Matt: So with that being said, what, which… where are you on the class of ’27? Like, are, are you… do you have some commits? Are you… do you kind wait until the season ends? Like, where does that fall? 

Coach: Yeah, it’s a great question. I think for us, fit is the most important thing, right?

And so if we can identify an individual that matches that fit perspective, and our timeframe and their timeframe matches up to [00:02:00] move, we’re ready to go. So, um, we do have two verbal commitments for 2027 so far. Um, but for the most part, we’re still curating and crafting that class, right? Continuing to build relationships, get to know individuals.

Um, my recruiting strategy is really I’ll talk to anyone and everyone. And so, um, for us, we start with- A lot of the other things in the recruiting process outside of soccer, because I think soccer is the easiest thing to figure out. Um, and so it’s all the other pieces, right, that, that go into that. And so building a relationship with guys is where we start.

And so, uh, we try and craft the best pool possible from there and continue to move them along as we get through the summer and into the fall months as we really start to nail down, you know, where they are in their process, you know, what schools they’re looking at, what time frames they’re on, um, so that we can start to actually help people make an informed [00:03:00] decision, whether that’s with Waynesburg or without.

Because at the end of the day, we just wanna see guys go to the best spot for them possible. 

Matt: Okay. Well, where, like you said, you mentioned kids from really all over the country, a lot of states represented there, so where are you going to see players? Kind of what tournaments and, and showcases are on your hit list?

Coach: Yeah, I mean, we’re, we’re very big in the Mid-Atlantic, right? So we’re, we’re heading out to as many, uh, regional, uh, events as possible in the Mid-Atlantic side, as well as a lot of the national events that run through ECNL, um, MLS NEXT, you know, down in Mesa, things like that. Um, you know, we’ll get out to Colorado every once in a while.

Uh, obviously try to make California work when we can, right? Um, but more so just trying to be intentional with where we can continue to provide the best fit possible for players, and it seems like for the most part, the Mid-Atlantic has really allowed us to [00:04:00] create a really good home, specifically in places like Maryland, Virginia, um, you know, obviously Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, things like that.

That’s probably the big five state area that the bulk of our players are gonna be coming from. A little bit of West Virginia here and there occasionally, but like I mentioned at the beginning, I’m only on my fifth recruiting cycle, uh, since, you know, getting here in late July of 2021. 

Matt: Okay. Well, you, you mentioned it a little bit, but- Whether it’s on the field or off the field stuff, what kind of makes up that hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player?

Coach: Yeah. Um, we talk about our program i- in a twofold approach. Um, the first piece, and the most important in terms of the lens that we’re looking through, is this idea of a high relationship culture. Uh, for us, we’re gonna look to maximize the 20 to 22 [00:05:00] hours that our guys spend off the field together, because we believe that when they’re better academically, socially, spiritually, the impact they can have on the field goes up.

Um, and so it’s not just about identifying good players, right? Everyone wants to do that, but identifying a guy that wants to come into that environment and will buy into it wholeheartedly. The second piece then is this idea of a high performance environment. And so we use that lens to get to the high performance piece, and when we talk about the high performance side, what we’re really trying to describe is that we wanna have a high level approach, um, a division one level approach if we can, in terms of how we’re looking to create experiences for our guys on the field.

And so there’s a lot of things about the program that we do that you just typically won’t find in a school of about 1,100 to 1,200 students. 

Matt: Yeah, absolutely. All right. [00:06:00] Well, in terms of that roster you’re trying to build, is there a size, a roster size you’re trying to hit each year that you find is ideal?

Coach: Yeah. Um, our goal is usually to be anywhere between, like, 32 to 36 players. We like to be three deep in every role with four goalkeepers. Um, you know, it’s a, a rigorous academic environment, and so, um, class demands are high. And so if we have a guy in night class at a training, right, we wanna make sure we have two players in that role.

That way we’re not stealing from somebody else to go play out of position, because now we’re hurting two people and not just one. So, um, we like the depth and competition that three creates in every role that we’re looking to, to build for. And then we obviously will have a little bit of buffer built into specific roles and responsibilities if we feel like we gotta create healthy competition for that.

You know, specifically, um, for us this year, it’s gonna be left back, right? And so we’ve got three freshmen coming in in that freshman class to create that type of [00:07:00] competition with the one natural left back we have on the team right now. And so it’s a little bit higher in a playing group position, but we need to create that competition right away.

Matt: Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit about the school. Uh, some folks probably not familiar with Waynesburg. Uh- Sure … you’ve been there five years now, so what are some things that you really enjoy about the school? Maybe some things we wouldn’t even know by going through the website. 

Coach: Yeah, I mean, I think the region’s pretty robust.

Um, like, if you just looked at us on a map, you’d just see Southwestern Pennsylvania. And so what you’d miss if you don’t zoom out is that we’re in a greater five state area. You’ve got access to Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland, all within, like, 90 minutes of campus. And so there’s a lot of easy access to things within the region.

You’ve got Pittsburgh 45 minutes north of us. Um, you can be in the downtown area pretty quickly, as well as Morgantown, West Virginia, uh, 20 minutes south of us, where West Virginia University is located. And so these larger metropolitan areas are, are really close to us [00:08:00] that provide a bit of contrast for students that might want that in relationship to the more, um, community-driven experience that we have here on campus.

And as you zoom into the campus experience, we are in the downtown area of Waynesburg. And so, um, you know, we’re built into a community. Uh, and I like to describe it as we’re, uh, 75 acres, um- You know, with 1,200 students, with four parks that run up the middle, so there’s a lot of natural green space built into the rolling hills here in the downtown area.

But with that comes restaurants, shops, and things to do within walking distance for our students, um, as well as, you know, your traditional big box style stores that you would find in, in most, um, suburban areas. And so I think it’s a really good balance and blend that the students get, um, being able to be fully focused in an area academically, athletically, as well as [00:09:00] having some of those larger settings to offset the experience at times.

Uh, in terms of things in the region that I really like, there’s a lot of good, um, like hiking and running trails, uh, good outdoor activities. You’ve got Ohio Pyle very close, so if you like to whitewater raft at all, canoeing, um, kayaking, right? There’s a lot that you can get into in the region just from an outdoors perspective.

Um, and then, like I said, a lot of those balanced experiences in those larger areas, it’s pretty nice. I mean, even 20 minutes north of us is a, a community called Washington. Um, you know, we’re talking over 200 restaurants. There’s a 150 store outlet mall that’s outdoors, right? So I think there’s a lot of good blend for an 18 to 22-year-old to find things that help create a good experience, not just related to the on-campus one.

Matt: All right. Well, you mentioned academics and, you [00:10:00] know, a lot of times that’s the hardest thing for an incoming freshman, right, is the jump of balancing college academics with demands of playing a sport. So h-h- at your school specifically, how do the, the student athletes really manage both sides of that, and what kind of support systems does the school offer to make sure they’re successful in both aspects?

Coach: Yeah. Um, it’s a layered approach, right? So there’s gonna be your traditional, um, resources built into the university. Uh, everything from free tutoring and counseling to, you know, writing resource centers, computer labs, things that really create a strong structure and foundation to get off to a good start.

The problem that we often find, though, is when freshmen come in, they don’t know how to utilize those right away, right? And so we do have, uh, a mandatory, uh, onboarding process with all of our freshmen. Um, sure, it encompasses some study hours, but more so it’s about bringing those resources to them. So [00:11:00] for two hours a week, we gather them, we give them that time, but then we also bring those university resources in so that they understand them, they know how to utilize them.

That way, when something goes sideways, they can get back on track really quickly. Within that, we do also have an early alert system on every student here. So, you know, for example, let’s say one of my guys doesn’t go to class three days in a row. They would never do that, but let’s say they did. Um, you know, their professor’s gonna make a note of that, and that note is gonna go out to everyone in their primary care.

And so that not only includes other professors, right, but, you know, their resident director, me as their coach, right, our athletic trainers. That way we can figure out what’s going on, because aptitude and calling have to come together to make a ca- a successful opportunity here. Uh, and so we wanna really help create that in a meaningful way.

Um, so yeah, I think those resources from a general perspective really help keep our students on [00:12:00] track. Um- Alongside that though, um, we do have a resource coordinator within the athletic department, uh, itself, right? And so that individual is responsible for helping liaison, uh, with the academic side and our faculty athletic representative.

And so those resources are really easy, easy for our students if they just come to my building, right? We can scoot them over to that office really quickly if there is something that they wanna talk about or discuss or get help on outside of just going to it and finding it themselves. The last thing I always like to say is we do daily wellness questionnaires with all of our players.

Um, so every single morning, um, when our guys get up, we just ask some questions on how they’re doing. So it’s through a phone application, but it’s not just the, the physiological stuff like, uh, fatigue and soreness, right? We also wanna know about their stress, their mood, [00:13:00] their sleep quality, how well they’re, or how long they’re sleeping for, so that we can get a better holistic picture of them.

And if we do need to push resources out to them then or utilize the ones we have, we can do that all before they even think about touching a soccer ball. So those are some of the big ones I think that really help create those conditions for our student athletes to be successful. 

Matt: Yeah. That sounds great.

Well, let’s fast-forward here to October. Uh, you’re in the heart of that conference season. Kinda walk me through what does a typical week look like for a player in terms of classes, meals, practices, game cadence, and all that kind of stuff. 

Coach: Yeah. Um, so during the season, we’re on six out of the seven days a week.

Um, usually our game cycles are Wednesdays, Saturdays. We’re off Sundays, and so that means we’re training Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Um- Yeah, so it’s match day minus two, at every 74, or 72 hours, excuse me. And so, [00:14:00] um, most of our guys are gonna be in an academic setting, uh, morning to early afternoon, right?

Whether that’s, you know, three physical classroom settings, plus studying or getting work done, group projects, things like that, where they can really focus on the academic demand in a meaningful way that allows them to transition to soccer components that much easier. Uh, when it comes to soccer, then most of our things are gonna be, you know, late afternoon to early evening.

Um, our guys are typically looking at anywhere from between, like, two to three hours of soccer daily, and what I mean by that, it’s, it’s everything. You know, that could be scout, individual video assessment, um, it could be athletic training pre or post with our trainers. Um, we could have a strength and conditioning session that day as well, uh, which will range in terms of volume.

And then our training sessions usually themselves are about 90 minutes. Uh, for us the goal is to [00:15:00] replicate, um, the intensity of what we need for that demand, not necessarily volume, because everything we do is designed to make it game realistic. And then I think after that, the reward is if you’ve done both of those things well, the academic piece and the soccer piece, you get to that cultural component in terms of what I talked about earlier, and how that really helps our players create those conditions to be successful off the field.

And so getting to do life then with the guys that you’re playing with has a ton of value in and of itself. 

Matt: Yeah, absolutely. Well, let’s talk about the team a little more. Uh, you mentioned your roster size. Talk about the rest of the roster in terms of coaching staff, support staff, what role does everybody play there?

Coach: Yeah. Um, so we’re usually a staff of, like, three to four, just depends on the year and what we’re looking to, to flesh out. Um, but I do have an assistant as well as a goalkeeping coach currently, and then we’re also looking for, uh, a graduate assistant currently as [00:16:00] well. Uh, and so roles and responsibilities will fluctuate depending on what we’re looking to do within that day.

Um, but, you know, our guys are– have instant access to those individuals, right? Like, I think for us, again, it’s not just about creating comfort for player to player, but player to coach. Uh, and so that high relationship piece also has to come from us, and so having guys that are boots on the ground, right, they’re around campus, um, is a big piece.

And so, uh, it’s a staff of three to four currently, um, with a variety of roles in relationship to what we’re looking to build out on the field. 

Matt: Okay. Well, what about you? Talk to us about your coaching style and the style of play you guys play there. 

Coach: So I, I’m a big, uh, roles and responsibilities guy. I’m not a big position coach.

And what I mean by that is we’re just pretty fluid. And so I- I’d rather have guys that can read the game at a high [00:17:00] level and then make decision-making within that rather than dictate A, B, and C and hope that when those things are done well we can get a result. And so we might take more Ls on the front end developing players that way, um, but on the back end what we see is that we have a more well-rounded individual.

And so that allows us to do more with them over the course of their four years, and how we can then really continue to move the program into a position where we’re consistently trying to challenge within the conference itself. 

Matt: Okay Well, I know we’re, we’re May, and y- and your guys probably already left for the f- for the summer and everything, but talk to me, what, what did their spring look like?

What’s that off-season look like for your guys? 

Coach: Yeah. So, um, you know, with new changes, we can start as early as January now in terms of our, our days that we can use. Um, for us, because of the [00:18:00] location and our stadium still being outdoors, we typically will blend their late, um, fall semester activities of strength and conditioning into an early start in January.

So, they’ll come back, um, they’ll continue on their S and C protocol, and then usually guys are, are gonna be doing, um, a lot of conditioning on their own, and they play in an in-house futsal league. Um, so, um, yeah, that’s completely led by them. Um, but it’s not only here on campus, but they also are a part of a league in Pittsburgh as well.

And so they get a decent amount of touches on the ball, I would say, in that lead up. And so that will usually last, like, all of January into second or third week of February, when we hopefully start to warm up or at least it’s nice enough that there’s no snow on, on the stadium. Um, at that point, we’ll look to transition to out- outdoors.

Um, that’s [00:19:00] anywhere between, like, two to three sessions a week as we build that out through, um, late February, March, and April. Um, there’s some breaks built into that as well with our spring break and then our, our Easter break as well. Um, and that usually culminates with exhibition games, uh, anywhere between, like, two to three weeks before finals start.

And so, um, yeah, it’s really just designed to create m- more of a, a club season feel to it, I guess, where you’re on two to three days, right? Um, it’s a development season, which it’s, it’s honestly one of my favorite parts of the year because we’re not matched day minus two every 72 hours, right? And so we can really pour into individuals consistently.

Um, and so that development piece, we take our guys through an IDP, um, or an individual development process, right, where- We have our game model and their player specific attributes and traits that we’re building out for them, and then we [00:20:00] identify, “Hey, what do you wanna work on? How can we help you do this?”

Right? And then we blend it into our team tactical model so that they’re getting that individual value in relationship to the larger, uh, idea of our game idea. Uh, and then we walk through that with them, uh, over the course of that spring. Um, but yeah, I mean, that’s usually spring and, and how it goes. And then guys are looking at anywhere between two to three weeks before finals, and then they’re packing up, uh, and heading home for the summer.

Uh, and we’re sending them out with a, a great strength conditioning protocol, um, and expectations and what that looks like so that when they get here, you know, August, um, 15th and 16th, we’re in a great spot. 

Matt: All right. Sounds good. Well, Coach, I really appreciate the time. Gonna leave you with one last question.

That is, if you had one piece of advice for anybody going through this recruiting process right now, what would that be?

Coach: Yeah, I think it’s a great question. Um, at the end of the day, like one thing I always tell guys is like, um, [00:21:00] you want to be intentional with the type of experience you want. There’s a lot of great soccer everywhere. There’s a lot of great campuses everywhere. Um, but being intentional with finding what makes you the best version of yourself is fantastic.

And the second-best answer you can give a coach is a no, because it allows them to get closer to where they’re going within their program, and allows you to really start to narrow in on what it looks like for yourself. And so I would just say be encouraged and let, let your yes be yes and your no be no, um, because that’s gonna allow you to really, I think, start to hone in on what you’re looking for in experience.

And when you buy that time back for yourself, it really allows you to maximize that. 

Matt: Yeah. That is very good advice. Well, Coach, I really appreciate it. Wish you the best of luck, uh, this fall and, uh, hopefully if you get down any of the tournaments down here in Bradenton, give me a shout, all right? 

Coach: Yeah, I will, I will for sure.

Thank you so much. 

Matt: Thank [00:22:00] you.