MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the third straight season, the No. 2-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team earned at least three of the four Big 12 Conference soccer awards, as Kadeisha Buchanan was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Bianca St. Georges was named the co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Nikki Izzo-Brown was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Additionally, 10 of the 11 student-athletes currently featured in the Mountaineers’ starting lineup earned a combined 11 All-Big 12 honors, a league-best mark and a program record.
“I’m so excited for our athletes to receive these awards and to be recognized by the Big 12 Conference,” said Izzo-Brown. “Everyone has worked so hard this season, and the All-Big 12 awards speak to those athletes’ hard work and talent. There’s a lot of balance on this team, and that was demonstrated today – not just one player or coach is responsible for our wins this year. It takes everyone, and the value of everyone is so important to this team’s success.”
All honors were selected by the conference coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes.
Today’s honor is the third straight award for Buchanan, a junior and native of Brampton, Ontario. She is the first player in Big 12 history to win three straight defensive honors. Izzo-Brown has won the coaching award each of the team’s four seasons in the Big 12 and is the only coach in conference history to earn four consecutive awards.
St. Georges, a defender and native of St. Felix de Valois, Quebec, shares the freshman accolade with Baylor forward Lauren Piercy. She is the third Mountaineer in as many seasons to win the Big 12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honor, as Buchanan earned the award in 2013 and Michaela Abam was honored in 2014.
Buchanan and St. Georges have played integral roles in helping the Mountaineers (15-1-, 6-0-1), the four-time reigning Big 12 Conference regular-season champions, post 13 shutouts this season, one short of matching the team’s single-season record, the second-best total in the NCAA and five more than the next-closest league team. The Mountaineers’ backline has allowed just five goals all season, none in the month of September, and ranks No. 1 in the nation in goals-against average (.288).
“I’m extremely happy the Big 12 coaches recognized the value of Kadeisha’s performance throughout the season,” said Izzo-Brown. “She is such a special player. Three straight Big 12 Defender of the Year honors is a statement to her talent and hard work.
“It’s never easy to come in as a freshman and impact a unit like Bianca impacted our backline. I’m so happy that her hard work and talent also were recognized.”
One of 10 finalists for the 2015 Fallon d’Or Award as the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, today’s honor is the latest in a long list of awards Buchanan has earned while at WVU. A two-time NSCAA All-American, she also was a 2014 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and is a candidate for the 2015 award. A starting center back for the Canadian Women’s National Team, she started all five matches for Canada at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and earned the tournament’s Best Young Player Award. She shows three points (1 G, 1 A) on the season and tallied the game-winner in WVU’s 2-0 victory at No. 15 Ohio State on Sept. 11.
St. Georges also has played a critical role in WVU’s offensive attack, assisting on five goals, the fifth-best season total for a Mountaineer freshman.
In addition to leading the Mountaineers to their fourth straight outright Big 12 title, the first team in conference history to achieve the feat, Izzo-Brown has guided WVU to its highest national ranking in program history. The squad has not lost a match since falling 2-1 to No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Aug. 23 and rides a 15-match unbeaten streak into this week’s Big 12 Soccer Championship. WVU ranks No. 1 nationally in won-lost-tied percentage (.912) and is the only team to rank in the top five in goals-against average (No. 1, .288) and scoring offense (No. 4, 2.71). Izzo-Brown has led the Mountaineers to three unbeaten seasons in Big 12 play, the only program in conference history to so in three different years.
“This coaching honor is so exciting to me because I coach alongside some great professionals in the Big 12,” said Izzo-Brown. “More importantly, I represent my staff and my team, and this is just an award that shows how hard my team and my staff have worked all year.”
Including today’s honor, Izzo-Brown has earned 11 combined conference and regional coach of the year awards since 2000.
A conference-best five Mountaineers landed on the All-Big 12 First Team, led by unanimous selection Buchanan and junior midfielder Ashley Lawrence; the honors are the third career awards for the duo. Lawrence paces the team and ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 with seven assists. She also is third on the team with 17 points (5 G, 7 A).
Three Mountaineers earned their first career first-team accolades: senior forward Kailey Utley, senior defender Maggie Bedillion and sophomore forward Michaela Abam. Utley, a 2014 second-team honoree, ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 with 24 points (9 G, 6 A). She has tallied the Mountaineers’ game-winning score in the last three straight games and ranks No. 1 in the conference, No. 5 in the nation, with six game winners. Abam is tops on the team and first in the conference with 10 goals for 20 points, the fourth-best total in the Big 12. In addition to helping the WVU defense post 13 shutouts, Bedillion also has contributed five points (1 G, 3 A).
St. Georges was one of four Mountaineers to land on the All-Big 12 Second Team. Senior midfielder Amanda Hill earned her second career honor, and the duo was joined by senior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman and sophomore midfielder Carla Portillo, who earned the team’s utility tag.
St. Georges also was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, as was forward Nia Gordon.
The top-seeded Mountaineers open their quest for their third straight Big 12 Soccer Championship title on Wednesday, Nov. 4, against No. 8-seed Oklahoma State, at 12:30 p.m. ET, at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.
