CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The head coach of the West Virginia University women’s soccer team has a message for young girls aspiring to reach the success she’s had after 21 years of coaching.
“Embrace the suck,” Nikki Izzo-Brown told members of the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council during its annual Building Futures Breakfast Tuesday at the Charleston Town Center Marriott.
“Sometimes people think when you run into a road block to stop or it’s a negative thing, instead just embrace it and figure it out. Figure out a way to get around the suck,” she explained.
Izzo-Brown was the featured speaker at Tuesday’s breakfast.
On Monday, she was named the Furfari Award winner as the West Virginia’s top college coach — voted on by members of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
The award, she said, is not about her. “It’s recognizing myself, but more importantly what my team and my staff have accomplished. It’s never about one person.”
Izzo-Brown lead the Mountaineers to a 2016 runner-up finish in the program’s first-ever NCAA College Cup appearance in 21 years. The University of Southern California defeated WVU last December.
Since joining the conference in 2012, Izzo-Brown, the five-time reigning Big 12 Coach of the Year, has led WVU to eight Big 12 titles.
Next season for the team will be a lot different, Izzo-Brown predicted. She said the girls want to win the championship now more than ever.
“I think once you get a taste of a national championship game and not winning it, you have a little bit more fire in your belly. I think that’s exactly what the girls are going to be motivated because they didn’t win it,” she said.
This is the first time a soccer coach has been named the winner of the Furfari Award.
WVU Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, WVU Women’s Basketball Coach Mike Carey and WVU Rifle Coach Jon Hammond were finalists for the award.
“That’s important that soccer is making such an impact in our state, but also that I’m up against so many great coaches. To represent all those coaches means a ton to me,” Izzo-Brown said.
During her speech Tuesday, she said it’s important to first have a vision. Her teammates work hard, stay focused and believe in themselves. She said while there’s no secret to success, she believes there are pillars to get there.
“You can’t allow anything to disrupt what you want to do and how you want to accomplish it,” she said. “Just be confident in your abilities and just stay on task.”
The Furfari Award is named in honor of the late sports writer Mickey Furfari.
Izzo-Brown will be honored on May 21 at the 71st Victory Awards Dinner at the Village Square Conference Center in Clarksburg.