WVU, Izzo-Brown ready for Big 12

No more hypothetical questions exist for head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown and the West Virginia women's soccer team. The Mountaineers are officially headed to the Big 12 Conference in 2012.

Coach doesn't want to move west without first recognizing some great years in the Big East Conference.

"Obviously, I've always appreciated the Big East and the professional manner that the conference has provided for West Virginia in women's soccer," Izzo-Brown said. "But looking forward, (the Big 12) is a great soccer conference. For women's soccer, I'm looking forward to the challenges and the opportunities that the Big 12 presents."

The changing of conferences has led to questions about recruiting and how different it will be with the Mountaineers in the Big 12.

West Virginia recently signed an impressive 2012 class, so what was the reaction from the new signees?

"A lot of them, initially, will have a concern if they're traveling west every weekend and just what the schedule presents," Izzo-Brown said. "What I have to do is explain the landscape of it and that it will just be four weekends. But in the Big East, that was something we would have to do anyways."

The new travel pattern is just one of many new situations a conference change presents.

"There are going to be challenges and we're going to have to approach things a little bit different. Those are some of the things I'm trying to research and understand," Izzo-Brown said. "Everyone is facing the challenges of this landscape. Everybody's got their challenges."

A challenge teams in the Big 12 will face will be traveling to Morgantown to play.

The Mountaineers are 69-12-8 at home since the opening of Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in 2004.

So, it won't just be Izzo-Brown's team that will be traveling to new territory.

"We're going into unknown country, but these programs have to do the same. I think everybody focuses a lot on the negativity of it all," Izzo-Brown said. "Obviously, when some of these programs come here, we want to make it a tough environment for them. Having teams coming to Dick Dlesk and never experience us on our home field will be difficult. "

West Virginia has won two straight Big East Conference championships and three of the last five. A solid core from last year's squad will return in 2012 with hopes of transferring its success with it to the Big 12.

"None of our players signed up for the Big 12, but they know what's here. They love West Virginia. We have to turn the chapter and now win a Big 12 championship," Izzo-Brown said.

"It's just the unknown, but we're all here to be the best and win championships, and I think that's the focus. Whatever conference we're in, our goal is to win, and that's what we want to do."