izzo-main-112715.jpg
Mountaineers Need Elite Effort Saturday
November 27, 2015 08:56 PM | Women's Soccer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – “Why stop now?”
That is the one question West Virginia University women’s soccer sophomore Michaela Abam continues to ask herself. Less than 24 hours removed from the No. 4-ranked Mountaineers’ (19-2-1, 6-0-1) second-ever NCAA Tournament “Elite Eight” appearance, the Houston native’s youthful spirit is at an all-time high.
Why stop now?
“It’s been so long since the team got this far (in the tournament),” the forward reflected. “I think for the freshmen and the sophomores, like myself, it’s huge that we’ve gotten this far. Why stop now?”
The second-seeded Mountaineers meet a familiar foe in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals tomorrow evening, as the squad kicks at No. 6-ranked and top-seeded Penn State (19-3-2, 8-2-1 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. WVU earned the advantage over the Nittany Lions in the first meeting on Sept. 4, as senior midfielder Amanda Hill scored off the team’s second corner kick in the eighth minute to deliver a 1-0 victory.
Admittedly, the game was unconventional, as first kick was delayed 98 minutes due to lightening in the area. Play was whistled dead seconds after the goal at 8:46 p.m. and resumed for good at 9:30 p.m. Despite the oddities, the Mountaineers imposed their will on the Nittany Lions, neutralizing PSU’s top scoring threats and holding the opposition to eight shots, only two on-frame, and four corner kicks.
Some could argue the win over PSU gave life to the Mountaineers’ memorable 2015 campaign. The victory was the third in a string of nine straight shutouts for WVU. The Mountaineers have tallied a program-best 15 clean sheets this season. Opponents have scored only nine goals against the Mountaineer defense, a unit that will be asked to stop a PSU offense which has scored 15 goals through the first three NCAA Tournament rounds.
“We have to make sure that the (PSU) strikers don’t get an advantage on us,” Abam said.
The Mountaineer offense must do its part, too, to help WVU advance to its first-ever College Cup. The PSU defense has looked efficient through the first three rounds, allowing just six shots on-goal in three shut-out victories, but the Mountaineer offense has been just as electric, converting 13 of its 33 shots on-goal for a .524 shot percentage. Abam paces the Mountaineers in the tournament with seven points (2 G, 3 A); she shows a team-best 12 goals on the season. The All-Big 12 First Team honoree believes the lessons WVU has gained since its early September win over PSU should boost the Mountaineers’ confidence Saturday evening.
“I think, tactically, we’ve been more sound – we’re possessing the ball way more than we did earlier in the season,” she said.
The Mountaineers understand they are playing for more than themselves this weekend. It is a program-wide belief that the 2015 WVU squad is playing its second Elite Eight match for the 19 Mountaineer teams that preceded it. Ultimately, though, Saturday is just “another game” between two regional rivals – and Abam likes it that way.
“I think having that type of mindset helps us from being overwhelmed by the whole setting,” she said. “We know this is an important match for us, though, and we can’t just let it be one other game. This isn’t a (regular) season game – if we stop here, we’re done. Yeah, it’s another game, but it’s a game that could change the season.”
Why stop now?
****
The six WVU seniors – Maggie Bedillion, Leah Emaus, Amanda Hill, Kelsie Maloney, Hannah Steadman and Kailey Utley – have been a part of many magical Mountaineer moments over the last four years. The unit has seen WVU rise to the top of its new conference home, winning four straight Big 12 regular-season titles and back-to-back tournament titles in 2013 and 2014. Additionally, the squad has defeated at least one top-10 team each year and compiled a four-year record of 52-13-12.
Ultimately, the group has saved its best work for its last season, guiding the 2015 Mountaineers to 19 wins, a single-season record, as well as a program-best No. 2 ranking and a spot in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
It is safe to say that the Mountaineers are now playing for their seniors, putting total effort into seeing that this group leaves WVU on top. Never was this more evident than last Sunday in the NCAA Tournament Third Round, when a stunned Mountaineer squad entered the locker room at halftime tied 2-2 with Loyola Marymount.
“Amanda Hill said before the second half started, ‘Guys, I don’t want this to be my last game,’ and then started crying,” Abam recalled. “Personally, I don’t know what came over me, but I knew we had to win that game and put (LMU) away.
“We always say we love our seniors – but we love our seniors! This has been one of the best senior classes I’ve ever had, and we need to do it for them in the end.”
****
Twenty-year coach Nikki Izzo-Brown has mentioned several times since Sunday’s 5-2 win over LMU that the Lions “woke a sleeping giant.” The Mountaineers did not face much adversity in the first two rounds of the tournament, dispatching of Duquesne and Northwestern by matching 4-0 scores. LMU answered both of the Mountaineers’ first-half goals on Sunday, forcing WVU to dig deep for will, drive and determination at halftime.
WVU responded with a tremendous second half, as Utley connected on all three of her shots, and the Mountaineer defense posted a shutout, limiting LMU to just five shots. Izzo-Brown likes that her squad responded so well in the face of a challenge and believes Sunday’s match will serve her team well against PSU.
“The Nittany Lions are too good – we can’t wait to respond against them. We need to get out on the field and have fun, stay focused and make sure that everyone is doing her job,” she explained. “Penn State is that good. We have to get after it early.”
A win Saturday night not only puts the Mountaineers in the NCAA College Cup, but it also pushes Izzo-Brown’s career coaching win total to 300. The only WVU women’s soccer coach, she currently shows a 299-105-44 overall record in 21 years of coaching. Izzo-Brown’s 20-year Mountaineer coaching record stands at 286-100-44.
****
Fans unable to make Saturday’s match at Penn State’s Jeffrey Field can follow the Mountaineers online HERE and HERE!
Let’s Go, Mountaineers!
Nikki Izzo-Brown | Oklahoma State Postgame | Oct. 26
Sunday, October 26
Nikki Izzo-Brown | Iowa State Postgame | Oct. 23
Thursday, October 23
Nikki Izzo-Brown | Oct. 13
Monday, October 13
Nikki Izzo-Brown | Oct. 6
Monday, October 06
