Defender Bry McCarthy becoming offensive force

West Virginia defender Bry McCarthy received a text message from her mom earlier this week, after scoring the game-tying goal on a free kick in the Mountaineers' 2-1 victory over Central Michigan last Saturday.

"Hey, guess who got athlete of the week?" the text read. "I said ‘who?'," McCarthy recalled. "She said, ‘It's you!'"

The sophomore was unaware she was named WVU's Athlete of the Week.

Not only did she score the tying goal, but she also played the full 90 minutes and finished with two shots on goal, while holding top CMU forward Nicole Samuel to zero shots.

"I think that she's one of the best left backs in the country right now, and it's really hard to get past her," said head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "Defensively, she's so solid and she's got great feet. For her to get up and attack and do what she did to finish that opportunity (against Central Michigan), it's fantastic."

Izzo-Brown knew McCarthy was going to be a great fit for the team even before she came to WVU. Izzo-Brown believes McCarthy's personality helps her on and off the field.

"It was very obvious to see how talented she was," Izzo-Brown said. "Not only is she a special soccer player, but she is just a great person. She's going to be very successful because of her talent, work ethic and who she is as a person."

The Ajax, Ontario, native gained valuable experience while becoming the lone captain of the Canadian National Team that won the Bronze medal in the CONCACAF women's U-17 championship in 2008.

McCarthy played in the 2008 FIFA World Cup with Team Canada, and this past summer she was named to the women's Canadian Full National Team.

"It gave me a whole lot of experience," said McCarthy, who began playing at the national level when she was 14 years old. "I played in my first World Cup two years ago and that was unbelievable. Watching Canada against the rest of the world helped me gain a lot of experience and knowledge."

McCarthy's time with Team Canada and going through what she described as "death camps" prepared her for the offseason workouts at WVU, making them a little easier on her body.

"Stuff like preseason here (at WVU), it's the hardest thing ever," she said. "But, I've had that experience and being with the National Team has helped me a lot, because I know I've got a job to do here with the team and just learning some of the game."

Even when things are going well, there is always something that players want to work on.

For McCarthy, it's her opposite foot.

"I'm dominantly left-footed, and it's a nice tool to have because not many people are on the left side," she said. "A lot of people know that about me, and I'd like to work on my right foot a little better. If I were to get my right foot as good as my left it would help me a lot."

McCarthy said building a stronger right foot would boost her confidence.

"I'm not shy, but I'm not as confident going to my right," she said. "I know for a fact that if I believe in myself, I can get it and I can get better."

The defenseman, who has four career goals, will look to keep pushing the attack and work on the right foot tonight at Miami (Fla.) and Sunday against Florida Atlantic.

"I want to strive to be one of the top goal scorers on the team, and I think that's what Coach expects of me too," McCarthy said. "It's just on me now to sort myself out and keep getting forward in the attack, and hopefully that can happen starting this weekend."