West Virginia captures another Big 12 women’s soccer championship
West Virginia hoisted the Big 12 women’s soccer trophy at Swope Soccer Village on Sunday again, making it back-to-back titles.
The Mountaineers tacked on their 16th win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma and have not dropped a game since Aug. 28.
The main reason: a mixture of talented underclassmen and senior leadership.
“More than anything, this team has so much heart,” senior Kate Schwindel said. “The desire to win is like no other team that I’ve been on.”
The Mountaineers (16-2-3) were the favorites coming in, ranked No. 9 in the nation, and they showed why by keeping Oklahoma at bay.
West Virginia scored an early goal in the 13th minute when Schwindel knocked it in the back of the net with some help from junior Amanda Hill.
“Once Amanda whipped that cross in, it had so much pace on it that I barely got a touch on it that it still went far post,” Schwindel said.
For coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, getting another conference title in the Big 12 shows how far this current squad has developed.
“This team just finds a way to win and I’m just along for the ride,” said Izzo-Brown, in her 19th year as Mountaineers coach.
Junior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman got her 10th shutout of the year, making six saves. That is the most she’s had since playing Texas on September 28.
“She’s gotten better every game,” Izzo-Brown said. “She got that clean sheet and did exactly what she needs to do. Make the easy saves, but come up with the big ones.”
Sophomore Ashley Lawrence, chosen as the tournament’s most outstanding offensive player, complimented the defense.
“To have that defense behind you and that goalkeeper,” Lawrence said. “We just have to focus on our offense and knowing behind us was very comforting.”
Lawrence had two of the three assists for her team in the tournament. Sophomore Kadeisha Buchanan was named the most outstanding defensive player.
Oklahoma (10-8-4) was picked to finish last in the preseason Big 12 polls but managed a few crucial wins and continued advancing in the bracket.
Midfielders Abby Hodgen and Tori Bowman led the team with three shots each on Sunday.
It was a physical game. A few West Virginia hit the turf throughout the game, which stopped play, but the team kept its pace until the end.
The Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012 and have two of the last three championships.
Now with another conference title, the Mountaineers are hoping to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament.
“Every experience you have, you learn so much from,” Izzo-Brown said. “Wins, losses and the opportunities you have when you play a great OU team that just battled.”
This was the second year in a row that the Big 12 women’s soccer championship was hosted at Swope Soccer Village, where it will be again next year.
This story was originally published November 9, 2014 at 9:19 PM with the headline "West Virginia captures another Big 12 women’s soccer championship."