MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — You’d imagine the daughter of a Division I women’s soccer coach would be a shoo-in with her mother’s school, but Sammie Brown would tell you otherwise.
There’s no animosity in the decision to sign with Auburn University 738 miles away, though, albeit Nikki Izzo-Brown is understandably “bummed” as Sammie noted prior to the state soccer tournament. Brown simply wanted a new change of pace.
“As soon as I went down to Auburn it felt right,” Brown said. “Getting to know the them, my coach, everything down there — I fell in love with automatically.
“Nothing against WVU, I just wanted something different and Auburn was it. … I would’ve liked to stay a little closer, but it worked that I liked the school. I wasn’t going to let distance affect my decision.”
After growing up with soccer, Brown decided she wanted to work toward getting her name into the college circuit six years ago when she was in middle school.
“It’s crazy exciting, you always think about this moment and it’s finally here,” Brown said. “I’m enjoying it and getting ready for the next step in going there.”
One of her many goals in her high school career was to win a state title, something Morgantown hadn’t done since 2011. That goal was met last Saturday when Brown netted the Mohigans’ final goal on a penalty kick, padding the lead enough to hold off a final offensive assault by Hedgesville.
“That’s always awesome to know I was able to help with my school and get under my belt,” Brown said.
The senior has learned quite a bit in her prep career in Morgantown, but the biggest lesson is that “hard work will get you places on and off the field.”
Looking back on the time she spent with the Mohigans, Brown’s nervousness of the signing event seemed to slip away for just a moment.
“I’d say the state championship is the best memory I have. Always the MHS-UHS rivalry game, those were always exciting, and the little moments I had with my team on the bus and the locker room — those are experiences you can’t replace,” she said.
Two other Division I schools were on Brown’s radar: Clemson and St. Louis. After five-straight NCAA tournament appearances, Auburn (7-10-2, 4-6 SEC) ended its season with a 2-1 overtime loss to Alabama.
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