Women’s Soccer HC Nikki Izzo-Brown Prepares for 2025 Season

The West Virginia Mountaineers’ women’s soccer team starts a new season on Thursday. Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown spoke with members of the media in Monday’s press conference via Zoom. Read more: Women’s Soccer HC Nikki Izzo-Brown Prepares for 2025 Season

Setting the Stage

WVU opens its regular season at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium against the Virginia Cavaliers. The Mountaineers are coming off appearances in the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA Tournament, respectively. 

Virginia was ranked in the top 25 for the majority of 2024, and will aim to get back on track Thursday. The Cavaliers made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Wisconsin.

Return of Weapons

A new season on the pitch begins with the return of offensive stars for West Virginia. Ajanae Respass and Taylor White lead the charge in that sentiment. Coach Izzo-Brown finds solace in having Respass and White back in the fold. 

“It’s always reassuring that we have experience when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net… so we feel that Ajanae and Taylor will bring that experience to us.” 

White has been a longtime member of the Mountaineers’ soccer squad, and the dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. Her head coach went on to say this in the presser;

“When you have kids that have trusted the process and have grinded themselves to become a leading goal-scorer, [it] really shows that she [White] trusted the development here and the relationships here.”

The Season Schedule Layout

Following initial questions regarding Thursday’s matchup against Virginia, the schedule became a main talking point. A brief conversation about Marshall’s return to WVU’s non-conference was followed by further inquiry. 

The Mountaineers will be at home for three of the first four matches this season. However, they only get one match at home in September. It evens out in the final month, but travel will be rampant in 2025. Here’s what Izzo-Brown had to say on the matter:

“Not to blame anybody, but we do not get scheduled early.” 

Throughout conference realignment and other matters, women’s soccer can fall by the wayside. Despite the tough slate in September, it might pay off in the long run.

“Maybe right now we’re going to do a lot of bonding on the road, but it’ll come back to benefit us down in the final month.”

Talent Development

In the NIL era of collegiate sports, every program has a different approach to roster building. For WVU, the women’s soccer team has plenty of youth entering the fray. Seven freshmen are on the roster, rounding out a mixed bag of high talent. 

Regarding the approach to acquiring and developing talent, Izzo-Brown said: 

“If you come to West Virginia, I’m going to develop you for four years, I’m going to make you the best player you can be… By your senior year, we still believe in development, that is my passion, to get you to the pros or wherever you want to go.”

It’s no secret that the lone head coach in program history has a way of doing things around here. 

Preseason Conference Expectations

As the media session wound down, questions about the state of the Big 12 competition arose. Izzo-Brown, the mastermind behind five Big 12 regular-season titles and six Big 12 Tournament titles, is hard to satisfy. The Mountaineers are currently predicted to finish fourth in the conference. 

“We’re never satisfied until the end of the year, and we finish number one, but I think polls maybe give you confidence… I appreciate that our conference voted in that way and that we’ve been ranked so high in such a great conference, so I don’t want to minimize a compliment…”

Anyone who follows the program knows that fourth isn’t good enough for a program such as West Virginia. 

Closing Thoughts

WVU Women’s Soccer Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown gave the media a 15-minute window on Monday. You can watch the conference in its entirety here. 

Izzo-Brown will lead her Mountaineers into battle on Thursday, August 14th, when UVA comes to town. First touch is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be streaming on ESPN+.

For more coverage of Mountaineer soccer, as well as all things West Virginia sports, stay up to date with WV Sports Nation.