KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the fourth straight year, the West Virginia University women’s soccer program earned more than half of the Big 12 Conference yearly honors, as coach Nikki Izzo-Brown was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year, senior Kadeisha Buchanan was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and junior Michaela Abam was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

 

Additionally, six Mountaineers collected a conference-best seven All-Big 12 honors.

 

All awards were selected by the conference coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes. 

 

“I’m so happy to see Kadeisha and Michaela honored for their hard work this season,” Izzo-Brown said. “These are players who led us in our attack and defensively and put forth tremendous efforts this year.

 

“I’m honored to receive the Big 12 Coach of the Year award. It has been a total team effort this season, and a lot of credit goes to (associate head coach) Lisa Stoia, (assistant coach) Marisa Kanela and the team behind the team. We’re all on the same page, and they are helping me take this program where we want to go this year.”

 

Buchanan caps her brilliant Mountaineer career with her fourth straight defensive award. The Brampton, Ontario, native is the second athlete in Big 12 history in any sport to earn an unshared major award four straight seasons (Zuzana Zemenova, Baylor women’s tennis, 2005-08). A Mountaineer defensive player has earned the award each year since WVU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012.

 

“For Kadeisha to be only the second athlete in conference history to win four straight outright awards speaks volumes of her consistency, drive and effort over the last four seasons,” Izzo-Brown added.

 

A 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Bronze medalist alongside teammate Ashley Lawrence, Buchanan anchors a defensive unit which has posted 12 shutouts this season, including eight straight against Big 12 opponents. WVU is the first team in conference history to post a shutout season in league play. The Mountaineer defense held all Big 12 opponents but Texas to two or fewer shots on-goal. WVU has allowed six opponent goals all season, the second-fewest nationally.

 

In addition to her stout defensive efforts, Buchanan also shows five points (2 G, 1 A) on the year.

 

A three-time MAC Hermann Trophy candidate and a finalist in 2015, Buchanan is a three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American – a two-time first team honoree – and a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award.

 

A native of Houston, Abam shared the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award with Oklahoma State’s Courtney Dike. The team’s top point earner with 20, she also paces with eight goals and has chipped in four assists. Her goals total ranks second in the Big 12, while her points total ranks third. Abam also ranks second on the team, fourth in the conference, with three game-winners. 

 

Also the 2014 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Abam broke onto the WVU career goals list this season and is tied with assistant coach Marisa Kanela for 10th place all-time with 28 career scores.

 

Izzo-Brown’s honor is her fifth straight, and she is the only coach in conference history to earn three or more consecutive awards. Under the 21-year coach’s watch, the Mountaineers became the second program and third team in conference history to go unbeaten and untied in league play. WVU claimed its fifth straight Big 12 regular-season crown with a 3-0 win at TCU on Oct. 21.

 

The Mountaineers hit No. 1 in the national polls for the first time this season and are 4-1-1 against ranked opponents and 2-1-1 against top-10 teams. No. 1-ranked WVU (16-1-1, 8-0) rides a nine-match win streak into this week’s Big 12 Soccer Championship.

 

Buchanan and Lawrence earned their fourth straight All-Big 12 First Team honors and were the lone unanimous selections. Also a MAC Hermann Trophy and Senior CLASS Award candidate, Lawrence, a 2015 NSCAA All-America First Team honoree, paces the team with six assists. She shows 25 career helpers and ranks No. 4 in program history.

 

Abam also is a repeat All-Big 12 First Team honoree. Joining the trio are first-time honorees Carla Portillo and Amandine Pierre-Louis.

 

Portillo, a junior midfielder, was named to the second team in 2015 and the newcomer team in 2014. She is enjoying a career season, as she ranks second on the team with 14 points (4 G, 6 A); her six helpers match Lawrence’s team-best mark.

 

Pierre-Louis, a junior defender, was previously named to the newcomer team in 2014. Moved to the backline this season, she has played an instrumental role in helping WVU post 12 shutouts. Additionally, she shows seven points (2 G, 3 A).

 

Freshman goalkeeper Rylee Foster was the lone Mountaineer named to the All-Big 12 Second and Freshman Teams. The rookie shows a 12-1-1 mark between the posts this season. Foster boasts a 0.29 goals-against average, the top Big 12 mark and the third-best nationally. She has allowed just four goals this season and is credited with six of the team’s clean sheets.

 

“All six of these athletes played a big role in this program’s success this season,” Izzo-Brown said. “This is a team sport, and collectively they helped push us this year. I’m very happy to see so many Mountaineers recognized.”

 

A complete listing of the All-Big 12 recipients can be found at Big12Sports.com.

 

The top-seeded Mountaineers open the Big 12 Soccer Championship on Wednesday, Nov. 2, against No. 8-seed Texas Tech, at 12:30 p.m. ET, at Swope Soccer Village.