First round loss still hurts Izzo-Brown, players

Nearly a month has passed since the West Virginia women's soccer team was upset by Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

No matter how much time passes, the loss will still linger in the minds of the Mountaineers.

"It's still pretty bitter, because nobody ever wants to lose. But, at the end of it all, you need to go back and reflect," said West Virginia head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "We were a team that went 13-1 in Big East Conference, won the regular season title and won Big East Championships back-to-back years – you really need to look at that."

As Izzo-Brown alluded to, the team finished the 2011 season with a 17-5 record and reached the top 10 in the national ranks.

"There's no question that it was a very successful season, it was just unfortunate how it ended," Izzo-Brown said. "But, you can't look at just one game. You have to look at the body of work, and that's what I keep trying to do while reflecting on some of the special moments."

Due to NCAA policy, Izzo-Brown isn't able to currently coach her team. But, the Mountaineers have decided to condition voluntarily.

"Our battle cry is, ‘let's make sure this doesn't happen again', and it's time to rebuild and make us stronger," Izzo-Brown said. "The girls have decided that they want to get after it and start working on their conditioning again."

This could be beneficial for the team next season.

"Any time an athlete is trying to get to a different level physically and they're ready to fight mentally, that can only help us," Izzo-Brown said.

Six seniors played their final game against Virginia Tech ; four of them were starters.

Despite the amount of experience departing, the Mountaineers will still return plenty of talent for the 2012 season. So, will Izzo-Brown's expectations remain the same?

"Oh, absolutely," she said. "The team has set the bar, they want to make sure that we don't fall short and that we're winning championships."

The road to winning championships may be different for the Mountaineers next season.

With the possibility of West Virginia joining the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 academic year, Izzo-Brown and her team would play unfamiliar foes. But, a lawsuit has left everyone uncertain of what conference the Mountaineers will compete in next year.

And Izzo-Brown is fine with that.

"All I want to know is where I'm playing," she said. "I just want a schedule ready. If it's in the Big 12, I'm happy. If it's in the Big East, I'm happy."