MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As the top-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team worked its way toward the 2017 season opener, 22-year coach Nikki Izzo-Brown had one clear-cut objective for Easther Mayi Kith – get shutouts.
 
Mission accomplished for the junior defender, as she and the Mountaineer backline held No. 5-ranked Georgetown off the scoreboard in a 1-0, season-opening victory on Aug. 18.
 
It was not easy, as the Hoyas peppered the WVU defense with 13 shots and nine corner kicks, but the Mountaineers walked away from a hot, humid afternoon with a win and a clean sheet.
 
Thrust into the starting lineup following Carly Black's season-ending injury at Ohio State on Sept. 11, 2015, Mayi Kith's inexperience was balanced by the world-class play of five-time All-American and 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy winner Kadeisha Buchanan. Together, the duo helped the Mountaineers tally 33 shutouts in two seasons, with the elder imparting wisdom on the younger each time they took the field.
 
With Buchanan in France playing professionally with Olympique Lyonnais, Mayi Kith is now the elder inside the box.
 
"I have to talk more," she said of her new role. "I have to be more focused because I'm taking Keisha's role. I have to lead the backline. I'm the last defender, and I need to make sure I'm ready for everything."
 
The Quebec City, Quebec, native is comfortable with the soccer part. Tackles, clearances, headers – Mayi Kith has it covered. The vocal growth has presented the biggest challenge.
 
"Normally, I'm very quiet during practice. This year, though, I have to force myself to talk more, even if it's just one more word. If I do it during practice, it will be easier during the games."
 
"Easther has done an amazing job stepping into one of the toughest positions on the field – you're constantly defending the most-wanted space," Izzo-Brown said. "She has done a great job carrying the torch Keisha has left, and she really wants to be that voice and that leader for the team this year. Easther wants to get WVU back to the College Cup."
 
Not just a student of the game, Mayi Kith, works hard in the classroom, too. Bilingual, though her primary language is French, the exercise physiology major is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, as well as a member of the President's and Dean's Lists.
 
"School is like soccer – sometimes, I don't like what I have to do, but I want to be successful in everything," she explained.
 
One topic Mayi Kith is quick to speak up about – the endless support her Mountaineer family provides.
 
"I was very shy as a freshman," she admitted. "The team helped me a lot, and I'm not as shy as I used to be. Plus, my English is better and I feel more comfortable. I've found my place in Morgantown." 
 
"Easther is sassy, and she has definitely evolved as a player," Izzo-Brown added. "She's very comfortable within herself and how she plays. She does things for this team that others don't really see, and she has a presence about her. The ways Easther continues to work on herself and develop her game have been truly awesome."
 
Mayi Kith and the Mountaineers play in front of the Mountaineer crowd tonight for the first time this season, as No. 1 WVU faces No. 10 Virginia at 7 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. It's a Dollar Night, and all tickets and select concessions are available for $1 each.
 
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.