WVU Women’s Soccer fell short of expectations and a winning record last season, but in 2024, head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown sees her team going much further.
“Every year we’re hunting results, and we want to win championships,” Izzo-Brown said. “That’s always the goal.”
As of now, that goal is not unreachable, as the Mountaineers are 5-2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play after last week’s win over Cincinnati. This week, West Virginia has two matches to keep its undefeated Big 12 record alive.
The Mountaineers take on 3-4-1 Kansas State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and 3-2-3 Kansas at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be played at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Despite having less success thus far, both teams pose reasonable threats to West Virginia, and Izzo-Brown will not let her team be anything but prepared.
“Both teams have had some very good results. We are expecting, definitely, a dog fight in both of these games,” Izzo-Brown said.
Izzo-Brown also recognizes that her Mountaineers will play a lot of talent throughout their last 10 matches, despite only No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 19 Colorado representing the Big 12 in the United Soccer Coaches’ top 25.
“I think each team in the Big 12 will give us different problems,” Izzo-Brown said.
At Cincinnati on Thursday, those problems tended to relate to the Bearcats’ speed, Izzo-Brown explained. The away crowd also played a role in rattling the Mountaineers.
“It was definitely a lion’s den going in there,” Izzo-Brown said.
Even with those strengths in Cincinnati’s favor, the Mountaineers held the Bearcats scoreless for 76 minutes. For Izzo-Brown, though, any allowed scoring is a call for improvement, and her Mountaineers will continue to work toward perfection.
“We’ve got to get better every day,” Izzo-Brown said.
“We need to step up defensively until we get clean sheets.”
Photo from WVU Women’s Soccer
