Scoring a pair of goals in the opening match is an excellent way to begin the NCAA Tournament.

It’s a dream start actually, and that’s just what West Virginia’s Bri Rodriguez did in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. She notched a brace against Morehead State in the 2-0 win before the Mountaineers advanced to the Sweet 16 with a win over Penn State in the second round.

“Morehead State is a good team and we tried to come out strong in the beginning and knew we needed a goal by halftime,” Rodriguez said. “We picked up the tempo, scored two before the half and were able to sit back.”

But the sophomore midfielder’s performance in that match was just a sample of her whole body of work so far at West Virginia. This season alone she is second in her team in all the offensive statistics, with seven goals and seven assists, totaling 21 points.

“Bri is one of the most confident players in her game and adds chemistry to the team,” West Virginia Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “She knows she has ability, and knows her role. She has done some great things for us stepping up to score. I think Bri is one of the best final-third passers in the country. She has great vision and ability to find the seams in defenses, which separates her from other players.”

The youngest of five children, Bri comes from an extensive athletic family. Her father played football and baseball while her mother played basketball, field hockey, and softball. Even though soccer didn’t run in the family, Bri got into it at an early age.

“One of my older sisters played soccer and I always wanted to be like her,” Rodriguez explained. “Soccer was the sport that I had more fun in and was good at. Fortunately, I have been able to have great coaches.”

Even though Bri became a very accomplished player on her club team, to the point where she was part of the U.S. U17 pool, she decided to play high school soccer.

At Waubonsie Valley High, she led her team through two undefeated championship seasons before suffering an ACL injury, which didn’t affect her college chances as she had already committed to West Virginia. But even through the tedious rehab, Bri managed to look at the positive side of the experience.

“Fortunately I went to a high school where the team was very talented. There were many Division I players in high school and I was lucky enough to have a high caliber high school team,” Rodriguez said. “I was able to get more touches of the ball, and it was fun to play for the community.

“The injury definitely helped me view soccer differently, after a year without playing it I missed it a lot and learned not to take it for granted. It was the worst injury of my life, and probably for any athlete. But positively, during my senior year in high school I was able to spend time with friends, go to dances, and football games.”

Although Bri has become a lethal offensive threat for the Mountaineers, she had a slow start in her college career. Coming off the injury, it took some time for her to become as effective as she would have liked to be.

“I think it was hard for her coming off her ACL injury,” Izzo-Brown said. “Then again as a freshman, you also have to acclimate to a lot changes. I think she was just getting back and started playing her best soccer in the end of last season. The knowledge she gained after a year of college soccer is that she has to be more effective towards the goal.”

Entering the 2010 season, Bri knew that expectations would change and that more would be asked of her.
    
“Last year I needed a time to adapt to college. Getting that year under my belt helped a lot” Rodriguez said. “This year the coach wanted me to be an offensive threat, to pass and shoot more. She also wanted me to play more defense. As a midfielder, playing defense is not always at the top of your mind.”

What is in everybody’s mind is West Virginia’s upcoming Sweet 16 matchup at Boston College.

According to Coach Nikki, consistency is key going into the weekend. She is making sure that all her players understand what their roles are and not to do anything that hasn’t been asked from them all season. With that said, to beat a good Boston College side, Bri and her running mate, junior forward Blake Miller, have to be at the top of their game.

They have a good sense and feel for each other,” Izzo-Brown said. “They play very close together and have a good understanding of their spacing.”

As a player, Bri’s motivation is a little different.

“We just look at every team and we know its one and done. We’re just preparing for a team at a time, right now Boston College. We go in knowing that we don’t want our seniors to lose.”