MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In just 10 days, any relaxing thoughts of summer break will be a thing of the past for 27 members of the West Virginia women’s soccer team. Preseason training is scheduled for Aug. 3 as the Mountaineers look to defend their BIG EAST Championship from a year ago. With preseason in our sights, we take a glimpse at the 2011 WVU women’s soccer team:

Challenging Competition
The 2011 West Virginia women’s soccer schedule is a grueling one, facing eight teams that appeared in the 2010 NCAA tournament – Connecticut, Georgetown, High Point, Marquette, Ohio State, Penn State, USF and Virginia.

“We are looking forward to an exciting 2011 season," says head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Our schedule has a good mix of conference and non-conference opponents that will help prepare us to make a deep postseason run.”

First Time Foe
West Virginia will square off against one first-time opponent this fall. The Mountaineers will battle High Point on Sunday, Sept. 11 in Morgantown. The Panthers, a member of the Big South Conference, are led by coach Marty Beall. High Point has won the last two Big South championship titles.

In the program’s 15-year existence (heading into 2011), the Mountaineers have faced 82 different teams. First-time opponents in 2010 were Florida Atlantic and Morehead State.

Home Sweet Home
Mountaineer soccer teams have played well in Morgantown throughout the years, putting together a 58-10-8 (.804) home record since Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium opened in August 2004.

West Virginia was 13-2-1 at home in 2007 with losses to Wake Forest in the regular season and to eventual national champion USC in the NCAA quarterfinals. The 16 home games that season are the most in a single season in WVU history.

Last season, WVU posted a 10-1-1 home record with a 1-0 victory over fifth-ranked Virginia – matching the highest ranked opponent defeated in school history.

Hosting Championships
West Virginia University and Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium have been chosen as the host site of the 2011 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship.

“We are thrilled to again serve as host of the BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship," says Izzo-Brown. “We play in one of the nation’s premier conferences and the weekend tournament will allow our great fan base the opportunity to watch some quality soccer in a great venue.

WVU previously played host to the 2007 championship, a year in which the Mountaineers won their first conference tournament title. Midfielder Lisa DuCote converted the final penalty kick in West Virginia’s 5-3 shootout win over Notre Dame.

In the last four seasons, more than 43,000 fans have attended women’s soccer matches at Dick Dlesk.

Ten teams qualify for the BIG EAST Championship, which takes place on campus sites during first round and quarterfinal play. WVU will play host to semifinal games on Friday, Nov. 4, and the championship game will follow on Sunday, Nov. 6. The winner of the championship game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

All-BIG EAST Returnees
West Virginia returns eight starters, including five all-BIG EAST performers this year. Those student-athletes are senior forward Blake Miller (second team 2010; honorable mention, 2008), and juniors Bri Rodriguez (first team, 2010; rookie team, 2009), Bry McCarthy (third team, 2010) and Caroline Szwed (rookie team, 2009) and sophomore Frances Silva (rookie team, 2010).

Experience Counts
Five Mountaineers have played in more than 50 matches at West Virginia, led by forward Miller with 70 appearances, including 60 starts. Meghan Lewis (68), Erica Henderson (66), Morgan Betscher (60) and Chelsey Corroto (56) make up the 50-plus listing. And 12 different players on the 2011 roster have started at least one match in their career.

Offensive Output
The 2011 Mountaineers return 84% of its goals and 89% of its assists this fall. Gone are graduates Megan Mischler (7G, 2A) and Ashtin Larkin (0G, 2A). West Virginia totaled 45 goals in 2010 after scoring a program-low 22 goals in 2009.

Miller returns for her senior season after leading WVU in goals (10), assists (9) and points (29) in 2010. Her nine assists tied for fifth most in a single season at WVU. The Mountaineers are 18-2-1 all-time when Blake Miller scores a goal.

“You have to put the ball in the back of the net to win games,” says Izzo-Brown. “I am looking for a variety of people to contribute offensively.”

Twelve different Mountaineers on the 2011 roster have scored a goal in their WVU careers.

Back Line Experience
West Virginia returns all four starters along the back line this fall. Seniors Drea Barklage, Henderson and Lewis and junior McCarthy each started all 24 matches a year ago.

“The organization of your back line in soccer is very critical,” notes Izzo-Brown. “For us to have all four starters back, with experience at a high level of play, it will be invaluable to us this fall.”

The 2010 defense set the single season record for shutouts at 14 with its clean sheet against Morehead State in NCAA first round action. It surpassed the previous school record of 13 set in each of the previous four seasons.

The Mountaineers also return senior Corroto and junior Mallory Smith who have performed well off the bench to assist in WVU’s defensive efforts.

Elite Instruction
In 15 seasons, as the only coach in the history of Mountaineer women’s soccer, Izzo-Brown has built a one-time infant program into one of the nation’s elite. Entering the 2011 season, she ranks 21st among NCAA Division I coaches all-time with a .696 winning percentage (includes one year at West Virginia Wesleyan).

Izzo-Brown has secured double-digit wins in each of the past 11 seasons and she has never had a losing season in 16 years as a head coach. Her career record stands at 220-87-32.

Spanning the Globe
WVU features student-athletes from Canada and 15 different U.S. states on its 2011 roster. Four players come from West Virginia, three from Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia. Canada and Missouri claim two players each. Ten states have one player wearing the Old Gold and Blue.

Helping Kick Cancer
The women’s soccer team raised $12,650 this spring in its effort to help fight breast cancer. All of the money raised goes directly to the Betty Puskar Breast Cancer Fund at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center.

A check presentation for the money raised this past spring will be held at halftime of one of the fall matches. The WVU women’s soccer team has raised more than $72,000 over the past eight years to help fight breast cancer.