MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – November was a month Morgantown star midfielder Sammie Brown won’t forget. Now, she can add June to that list, too, after being named the West Virginia girls’ soccer Gatorade Player of the Year.
On Nov. 9, the Morgantown girls’ soccer team was fighting to claim its first state title in eight years, and coach Stirlin Rivers’ first as head coach at MHS. Down 1-0 at halftime, the Mohigans battled through a tough Hedgesville defense and sank three goals, the third coming off a penalty kick by Brown under the 10-minute mark. That goal would prove to be the linchpin to secure the Class AAA title, as Morgantown came out on top 3-2. The victory capped a 20-2-1 record for the Mohigans, of which Brown led the way. She finished with a season total of 25 goals and 21 assists, pushing her career totals to 70 goals and 61 assists.
“It’s a great honor to represent my school and team with this award, and it’s an awesome reflection of how hard my team worked this season to win that state title,” Brown said.
“Sammie winning Gatorade Player of the Year is well deserved,” Rivers said. “Year after year, Sammie took great pride in being the best she could be, both on and off the field of play. In 2018 Sammie was nominated [Class] AAA Girls Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year. In 2019 she retained the Midfielder of the Year award and led our girls to the triple-A state championship as a captain. This tremendous achievement would not have happened if she did not have such great teammates playing the game at such a high level. Her success is also their success. I cannot be happier for Sammie and I wish her all the best in the future.”
Shortly after that big win over one of West Virginia’s perennial soccer programs, the 5-foot-3 Brown signed her letter of intent to play Division I soccer at Auburn on Nov. 13. It shocked some that she didn’t stay home and play for her mother, West Virginia’s longtime and highly successful women’s soccer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, but Brown couldn’t pass up playing at a school she fell in love with. Although not staying home, Brown is taking a lifetime of knowledge passed down from her mother and her other coaches – Rivers especially – into the next leg of her athletic journey.
“Both of them have shaped me into the player I am today,” Brown said. “My mom starting when I was just a little kid and Stirlin the last few years. Without them, I couldn’t be where I am now. They constantly remind me that with hard work I can do anything. The little things they’ve taught me have gotten me to where I am now.”
Along with winning the prestigious award, she was named the OVAC Player of the Year and was a first team all state selection three years in a row.
Next, Brown will embark on her 738-mile journey to Auburn in a week. There she’ll begin working with the women’s soccer team in preparation for the 2020 season. While the distance may take a toll on her, she’s moving forward knowing that this is what she’s wanted since middle school. Not only that, but her accomplishments also support the foundation she’s built over time.
“I’m looking forward to that,” she said. “I’ll keep this in the back of my mind because I know it will be a difficult transition. I know that I’ve been able to achieve some great things surrounded by some awesome people. I’m excited for the challenge and ready to start working with my teammates.”
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