Women's Soccer Opens Preseason Camp
August 05, 2014 06:21 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The reigning Big 12 Conference champion West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens its 2014 preseason camp on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 7 a.m., at Dreamswork Field.
Camp will conclude on Sunday, Aug. 17. Included in the 12 days of preparation are two exhibitions. The Mountaineers will travel to Rutgers on Tuesday, Aug. 12, and play host to Navy on Saturday, Aug. 16.
“This is an exciting time of year. I’ll be on vacation for the next two weeks having quality time with my Mountaineer family at Dreamswork Field,” said coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “This is a time that we all look forward to. Everyone put in a lot of work throughout the offseason to improve, and now it’s time for us to make the most out of this preseason camp.”
The Mountaineers, the two-time defending Big 12 regular-season champions and 2013 Big 12 Soccer Tournament champions, return three NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Central Region honorees, including sophomore defender Kadeisha Buchanan, a NSCAA All-America Second Team honoree and the 2013 Big 12 Defender and Newcomer of the Year. Also returning are sophomore forward Ashley Lawrence, an all-region first team honoree, and senior forward Kate Schwindel, a two-time all-region second team member.
Schwindel is the team’s top returning point earner, having finished second on the squad, third in the Big 12, with a career-best 28 points (11 G, 6 A) in 2013. Junior forward Kelsie Maloney tallied 16 points (6 G, 4 A) last season, while Lawrence and junior defender/midfielder Cari Price each had 12 (4 G, 4 A).
Also returning for this year’s senior class are goalkeeper Katie Osterman, defender Jess Crowder and midfielder Ali Connelly.
Seven newcomers join the Mountaineers this season: junior transfer Hannah Steadman and freshmen Michaela Abam, Toryn Broadwater, Heather Kaleiohi, Kelly LaPorte, Carla Portillo and Macy Stalnaker.
Izzo-Brown, the two-time reigning Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, returns for her 19th season with the Mountaineers. She owns a 264-101-39 overall record (19 seasons) and a 251-96-39 mark at WVU.
Two Mountaineers enter 2014 with preseason honors, as Buchanan and Abam were recognized by TopDrawerSoccer.com this morning. Buchanan, a Brampton, Ontario, native, was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Best XI First Team, while Abam, a Houston native, was named to the Preseason Best XI Freshmen Team.
The Mountaineers return to the field after finishing the 2013 campaign at 16-4-3. In addition to their two Big 12 titles, the squad qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 14th straight season, the country’s ninth-longest active streak. WVU has won nine conference titles since 2007, including six in the last four years.
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