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Izzo-Brown Solidifies Top Spot
July 15, 2015 12:13 PM | Women's Soccer
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Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown is the only coach in Big 12 Conference history to win three straight Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks Photo
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Entering her 20th season with the West Virginia University women’s soccer team, a program she started in 1995, Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown has left little doubt that she deserves a spot among the nation’s best coaches.
In fact, according to Chris Henderson of All White Kit, Izzo-Brown is top-five material.
Up two spots from 2014, Izzo-Brown ranks No. 4 in Henderson’s 2015 CoachRank, a tool the blogger developed to measure the success of Division I women’s soccer coaches. Izzo-Brown checks in with a score of 75.54, more than four points better than her 2014 score; scores are based on a 0-100 scale.
Izzo-Brown again is the top-ranking Big 12 Conference coach, with the next closest coach, Colin Carmichael, checking in at No. 28 with a 47.18 score. The three coaches ahead of Izzo-Brown are: Florida State’s Mark Krikorian (91.79), Stanford’s Paul Ratcliffe (90.13) and Virginia’s Steve Swanson (79.03).
CoachRank is a data-driven, objective system of measuring coach performance over at least a three-year period of time. All information to generate the first poll dates back to the 2009 season. For more information on the poll, and to see the complete list, visit Henderson’s site.
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As has been the story all summer, Mountaineer juniors Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence were big factors in a Canada Women’s National Team victory.
Fresh off its quarterfinal appearance in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the squad opened the 2015 Pan American Games on July 11 with a 5-2 victory over Ecuador at CIBC Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium, in Toronto.
Buchanan, a defender and native of Brampton, Ontario, and Lawrence, a midfielder and native of Toronto, each played all 90 minutes. Lawrence tallied one assist, as she set-up Emma Fletcher’s score, the Canadian’s fifth goal of the match, in the 79th minute.
Canada continues preliminary play against Costa Rica tonight, at 8:35 p.m. ET.
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In case you missed it on Monday, the team’s 2015 schedule poster was revealed. This year’s poster features the Mountaineers’ six seniors: Maggie Bedillion, Leah Emaus, Amanda Hill, Kelsie Maloney, Hannah Steadman and Kailey Utley.
The posters will be available in and around the Morgantown area in the coming weeks. Additionally, there will be opportunities throughout the 2015 home season to pick up a poster at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. More information will be available in August.
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Finally, as alluded to at the beginning of this blog, the Mountaineers are on the cusp of their 20th competition season. The program’s history will be celebrated throughout the Fall. If you have a fun, unique story you would like to share about WVU women’s soccer, please message the team on Facebook.
Let’s Go, Mountaineers!
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