The Mountaineers open the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday against Kansas

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In all likelihood, the WVU women's soccer team has already done enough to return to the NCAA Tournament after a year-long absence. The Mountaineers (12-4-2) still have a long way to go in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, which begins Saturday night in the quarterfinals against Kansas in Kansas City. Kick-off is at 6:15 p.m.

WVU finished third in the 16-team league this fall with a conference record of 8-2-1. With an RPI of 27, the Mountaineers are in the running for host rights to the first round of the NCAA. Head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown believes her team is close to securing at least one home game.

“I think we have to win one. If the RPI falters, it could definitely be out of our hands. I think if we can control our own destiny and win this one, I think that will help secure a home game in the NCAA Tournament,” Izzo-Brown said.

“I think we are in the tournament, which is good news. But we want to go back home for our seniors and the fans and for all the other reasons to play at home.”

Big 12 Tournament bracket

No. 6 seed Kansas defeated No. 11 seed Arizona State 2-1 in an opening round game on Wednesday. West Virginia defeated the Jayhawks 3-2 in Morgantown in September.

“We will definitely have our hands full. This is a Kansas team that is very much about scoring points. They are a high-pressing team. We really need to look into this. So it will be an exciting game.”

The Mountaineers last played on October 25th when they defeated Houston 4-1. The eight-day break is their longest season yet.

“They want to stay in our rhythm and make sure we stay competitive. But it was also a good time for some players to get new legs and recover and make sure we work through some things that we need to take care of.”

As tournament play begins, penalty shootouts have become a larger part of practice leading up to Saturday's game.

“We definitely want the players to feel comfortable when they step up and we practice that too. “I think every player is different. Since this is a mental situation, we want them to be prepared. It’s individual, but we prepare it from both sides.”

After a 7-8-4 season in 2023, the turnaround began very early in the offseason, according to Izzo-Brown.

“I know the seniors took the lead last spring and said we need to make sure we do the little things right and at a consistent level. I trained her hard this year. I think we were all responsible as a staff and making sure we did the little things right. But this all happened last January.”