Butler: A Consistent Winner
September 23, 2010 12:34 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Women’s soccer goalkeeper Kerri Butler has made a career out of being the quiet, sneaky type.
Never one to celebrate or lash out at her teammates during a match, Butler is more of a calming voice and steady shot blocker along the Mountaineers’ last line of defense. Her play between the posts can often be overlooked in a 90-minute match, but when it’s over, her efforts appear to be just business as usual.
Add to the mix a competitive drive and team-first attitude, and it’s clear why she has earned the nickname Ms. Consistency.
“The thing with Kerri is people don’t take into consideration what kind of competitor she is,” said coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Sometimes her demeanor off the field is what people assume she is like between the posts. When in reality, Kerri gets after it when she steps on the field.”
Butler’s work ethic has resulted in appearing in 65 matches, including 63 starts for the Old Gold and Blue. She has picked up four wins and three shutouts through seven matches this season – her final year as a Mountaineer.
“It has been everything I thought it would be,” said Butler, a Fredericksburg, Va., native. “We’ve won championships and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. I want to keep that success going as I finish up my career.”
Butler’s standout career began as a wet freshman in 2007. Izzo-Brown was not happy with her team’s play at Connecticut, and after the Huskies built a 2-0 lead, she looked down the bench at her skinny, freckle-faced rookie.
“I was petrified,” recalled Butler of her first BIG EAST Conference action. “I can still remember sitting on the bench and hearing Nikki scream my name. I looked over to Cassandra (Deitrick) who was sitting next to me and said ‘did she just call my name?’ She said ‘yea, go get ready.’”
Butler made one save and did not allow a goal in the final 31 minutes in Storrs, Conn. And in that performance, Izzo-Brown had found her goalkeeper.
In that same season, West Virginia won its first BIG EAST tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. It was Butler who helped fuel the winning recipe. She stood firm in the BIG EAST finals in a penalty kick shootout, denying a PK attempt from Hermann Trophy winner Kerri Hanks of Notre Dame to secure the conference crown.
“As the years have passed, she has grown in maturity as well,” said Izzo-Brown of Butler’s composure on the field. “I’m really proud of how consistent she has been for our program and how she has come up with big save after big save.”
Butler’s play has been the result of hours and hours of hard work and a concerted effort to become a better communicator.
“When I first got here, I don’t think I said two words,” laughed the exercise physiology major. “Having (Natalie) Cocchi and (Krystle) Kallman in front of me kind of scared me, too. I think with each year, I have improved my communication with our defense. Having a goalkeeper that can talk to his or her team really benefits the team as a whole.”
“Kerri knows it’s important to keep the ball out of the back of the net, but she also understands her role as a communicator and as a coach on the field,” added Izzo-Brown. “We give her the responsibility of being an extra coach out there. She has really embraced that role and done a good job at it.”
Butler’s steady performance, week in and week out, has translated to success with the Mountaineers making the NCAA tournament in each of her three seasons. And Butler’s actions are making its mark on the WVU record books.
With 33 career shutouts, Butler needs four clean sheets to become West Virginia’s career shutouts leader, surpassing Lana Bannerman’s 36 total set from 2003-06.
“I’d rather break the season shutout record because it will mean the team is having a really good season,” said a humbled Butler. “That’s more important to me than trying to accumulate individual wins or shutout records.”
“Her consistency and ability to move up the record book says a lot about what kind of goalkeeper she has been for us,” said Izzo-Brown. “There have been some very good goalkeepers in our program and she belongs near the top of that list.”
As Butler’s final season winds down, she’ll continue to lead her teammates with an increased voice. Her selfless demeanor and ability to make diving stops look routine have the Mountaineers in prime position for another postseason run.
Never one to celebrate or lash out at her teammates during a match, Butler is more of a calming voice and steady shot blocker along the Mountaineers’ last line of defense. Her play between the posts can often be overlooked in a 90-minute match, but when it’s over, her efforts appear to be just business as usual.
Add to the mix a competitive drive and team-first attitude, and it’s clear why she has earned the nickname Ms. Consistency.
“The thing with Kerri is people don’t take into consideration what kind of competitor she is,” said coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Sometimes her demeanor off the field is what people assume she is like between the posts. When in reality, Kerri gets after it when she steps on the field.”
Butler’s work ethic has resulted in appearing in 65 matches, including 63 starts for the Old Gold and Blue. She has picked up four wins and three shutouts through seven matches this season – her final year as a Mountaineer.
“It has been everything I thought it would be,” said Butler, a Fredericksburg, Va., native. “We’ve won championships and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. I want to keep that success going as I finish up my career.”
Butler’s standout career began as a wet freshman in 2007. Izzo-Brown was not happy with her team’s play at Connecticut, and after the Huskies built a 2-0 lead, she looked down the bench at her skinny, freckle-faced rookie.
“I was petrified,” recalled Butler of her first BIG EAST Conference action. “I can still remember sitting on the bench and hearing Nikki scream my name. I looked over to Cassandra (Deitrick) who was sitting next to me and said ‘did she just call my name?’ She said ‘yea, go get ready.’”
Butler made one save and did not allow a goal in the final 31 minutes in Storrs, Conn. And in that performance, Izzo-Brown had found her goalkeeper.
In that same season, West Virginia won its first BIG EAST tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. It was Butler who helped fuel the winning recipe. She stood firm in the BIG EAST finals in a penalty kick shootout, denying a PK attempt from Hermann Trophy winner Kerri Hanks of Notre Dame to secure the conference crown.
“As the years have passed, she has grown in maturity as well,” said Izzo-Brown of Butler’s composure on the field. “I’m really proud of how consistent she has been for our program and how she has come up with big save after big save.”
Butler’s play has been the result of hours and hours of hard work and a concerted effort to become a better communicator.
“When I first got here, I don’t think I said two words,” laughed the exercise physiology major. “Having (Natalie) Cocchi and (Krystle) Kallman in front of me kind of scared me, too. I think with each year, I have improved my communication with our defense. Having a goalkeeper that can talk to his or her team really benefits the team as a whole.”
“Kerri knows it’s important to keep the ball out of the back of the net, but she also understands her role as a communicator and as a coach on the field,” added Izzo-Brown. “We give her the responsibility of being an extra coach out there. She has really embraced that role and done a good job at it.”
Butler’s steady performance, week in and week out, has translated to success with the Mountaineers making the NCAA tournament in each of her three seasons. And Butler’s actions are making its mark on the WVU record books.
With 33 career shutouts, Butler needs four clean sheets to become West Virginia’s career shutouts leader, surpassing Lana Bannerman’s 36 total set from 2003-06.
“I’d rather break the season shutout record because it will mean the team is having a really good season,” said a humbled Butler. “That’s more important to me than trying to accumulate individual wins or shutout records.”
“Her consistency and ability to move up the record book says a lot about what kind of goalkeeper she has been for us,” said Izzo-Brown. “There have been some very good goalkeepers in our program and she belongs near the top of that list.”
As Butler’s final season winds down, she’ll continue to lead her teammates with an increased voice. Her selfless demeanor and ability to make diving stops look routine have the Mountaineers in prime position for another postseason run.
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Wednesday, May 13
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Tuesday, May 12
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