WVU Women's Soccer Continues Quest for Title

West Virginia University’s Women’s Soccer team will make its debut in the Women’s College Cup Friday. It’s the team’s first trip to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Final Four.

West Virginia University is hoping to continue a season of firsts after the Mountaineer Women’s soccer team spent most of the year at the top of national polls and is the number 1 seed in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. They’ll meet the University of North Carolina in the first of two games Friday in San Jose, California, in the College Cup. WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said it’s not time to admire they’re successful season just yet.

“From day 1 until we’re the one at the end of the year do I even reflect on the numbers,” Izzo-Brown said. “We have a tough opponent in front of us, so right now that’s all I’m worried about is making sure we bring our best for North Carolina.”

The North Carolina Women’s Soccer program is one littered with history. UNC owns 22 National Championships, it’s last in 2012. In the only other match between the two schools UNC won 4-2 in 2013. Izzo-Brown said her team may be new to the College Cup, but has a unique set of experiences.

“It’s a team that’s behind great leadership, you know we have so much experience on this team,” Izzo-Brown said. “We have Kadeisha and Ashley that have really experienced things on a totally different level too being in World Cups and being in Olympics and we fall on them a lot to make sure that the team is ready.”

Izzo-Brown is talking about Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, both played on the Canadian National Team in Olympic and World Cup competition. Buchanan was recently named ESPN’s 2016 College Women’s Soccer Play of the Year. She said they want to bring a championship trophy to Morgantown. 

“Throughout this year this team has been making history  and there is history left to be made,” Buchanan said. “Although it’s history making it to the final four, I think it would be cool to get another history of hoisting that trophy as well.”

WVU and UNC will meet in the first match at 5 Friday. Following the match the University of Southern California will meet Georgetown in the other semifinal. The two winners will play for the National Championship Sunday evening at 6.