Preseason Notebook
August 14, 2009 04:03 PM | General
August 14, 2009
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| Carolyn Blank | Megan Mischler |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia women's soccer team recently was chosen for the third consecutive season to win its league division title. With that being said, the team started camp on Aug. 7 and Saturday will mark the ninth day of practice for the Mountaineers.
“We’re just trying to set the tone and I think right now what we’ve done is set the tone that every position, everyone is vying for and being competitive,” coach Nikki Izzo-Brown says. “At this point I know I have a team full of a lot of hardworking and competitive ladies.”
PICKED TO WIN THE LEAGUE
For the third consecutive season, West Virginia was chosen win their division title by the BIG EAST. The past three seasons the Mountaineers have won the divisional title and also won the BIG EAST Championship in 2007.
With the return of Carolyn Blank, Kerri Butler, Erica Henderson, Nicole Mailloux, Blake Miller and the addition of a top recruiting class featuring nine stand-outs, Izzo-Brown understands where the respect comes from.
“The respect is there and when you’ve won it three years in a row similar to what we have, I think there is an immediate respect,” Izzo-Brown says. “I think they respect the freshman coming in, they recognize what I recognize, that we have the talent to do it again, it’s just now making it all work and finishing out the end of the year where we want to be and that’s to win it.”
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
While last season’s team was dominated by an eight-member senior class, this year’s squad boats only three seniors. Nine freshmen fill up roster spots on the 2009 Mountaineer squad, and the large class has found some strong team chemistry early on.
“The freshman class has done a great job just stepping in and knowing what the mentality is and what the expectations are,” Izzo-Brown says. “I’m really proud of how they’ve stepped in, jelled, brought some great team chemistry, but also worked hard and it’s helped set the tone in what we always build ourselves on and that’s working hard and building team chemistry.”
The rookie class consists of: Steph Carpenter (M/Mays Landing, N.J.), Nicolette DeLaurentis (F/Sicklerville, N.J.), Sara Keane (GK/Mt. Laurel, N.J.), Caralee Keppler (D/Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Ashley Magruda (GK/Belle Vernon, Pa.), Bry McCarthy (F/Ajax, Ontario), Bri Rodriguez (M/Aurora, Ill.), Mallory Smith (D/Hamden, Conn.) and Caroline Szwed (M/Oakville, Ontario).
HAVING A HAND IN EVERYTHING
With assistant coach Lisa Stoia still playing for the St. Louis Athletica of the Women’s Professional Soccer league, Izzo-Brown has had to play close attention to each position, but enjoys the task of watching over everybody.
“I have my hands in everything. I know that at this point I’ve coached everything but goalkeepers,” Izzo-Brown says. “At this point I just want to make sure that I’m overseeing everything and making sure every area in preseason meets expectations and I think that’s the most important.”
Speaking of the goalkeepers, volunteer assistant Stefani Workman has done a tremendous job with working goalkeepers Kerri Butler and Mallory Beck back into game form. Workman has also been working with incoming freshmen Sara Keane and Ashley Magruda to get those two acclimated to the collegiate style of play.
“Even though I’m not with the goalkeepers at this point, they’re obviously the most important because if they make a mental error, we’re in trouble,” Izzo-Brown says.
BATTLING THE ELEMENTS
Since the women have started camp they have been battling high temperatures and high humidity daily with the average high temperature at about 85 degrees daily. Last week the team was also forced to deal with steady downpours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.
However, Izzo-Brown describes this as not always a bad thing. The weather will force the athletes to gain stamina for those 90 plus minute games.
“It’s very important for us to compete in this type of weather, as coaches this is what’s going to get us fit,” Izzo-Brown says. “As much as we can facilitate this August and maybe when we get down to USF, we’ll take it.”
As Izzo-Brown said, this is WVU’s turn to travel to the always hot Tampa to take on South Florida on Sept. 27. Last season on Sept. 27, the high temperature in Tampa was 91 degrees.
JUST KICKIN’ IT
The past two days the team has traveled to the southern part of the state to take part in team bonding activities such as camping, ropes course and even white-water rafting in the New River Gorge. The staff is hoping this bonding continues up to the start of the regular season.
“What I like about preseason is that we’re always together, there is not the distraction of school,” Izzo-Brown says. “What I don’t like about preseason is that we do spend that much time together and fatigue starts to set in a bit because it’s just constant soccer for the ladies, but I love preseason because I got them to myself.”
TERPS COME TO TOWN
The team will host Maryland in its only exhibition game of the preseason on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 2 p.m. Fans can catch an early glimpse of what this talented group of women are capable of.
“There is not a better ticket in town than a women’s soccer match,” Izzo-Brown says to the fans. “Please come out and you will not be dissatisfied with how hard these Mountaineers are working and I think they represent what every Mountaineer fan wants and that’s hardworking and being competitive.”
Between the 2007 and 2008 season, attendance jumped almost 200 more people per game and that is immediately accredited to the consistent success of the team. The highest attended game ever at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium was on Nov. 30, 2007 when the Mountaineers took on USC in an Elite 8 game in which they fell 1-0.
