by Joey Papania
LSUsports.net
Last year the LSU soccer team finished the regular season with a 4-15-1 record, 2-7 in the SEC. The Tigers finished the season with a seven-game losing streak with only a tie against Oklahoma on Oct. 3 to keep them from dropping the last 13 matches of the season. So what does that mean for the 2000 Tiger team?
Nothing.
Under first-year head coach George Fotopoulos, the LSU soccer team is off and running to its best start in LSU history. The Tiger roster is filled with young talent. Coach Fotopoulos’ club features 15 freshmen, seven sophomores and only five seniors. Through the early part of the season, the Tigers have been guided by sophomore Kara Dean.
The 5-foot-3, Spring, Texas, native has found herself in a new position on this year’s team and has adjusted quickly. Last season, Dean played midfielder for former head coach Greg Boggs but has made the move to forward this year.
“My teammates have made the adjustment easier,” Dean said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without my teammates.”
In the first two games, Dean scored a total of five goals matching the team lead of last season. The three goals scored against Louisiana-Monroe ties her for third on the LSU single game record list. So what has been the key to the Tigers’ early success?
“We had to come in fit,” Dean said. “We spent a lot of time running this summer.Being fit helps a lot on the field.The team can still be in better shape, but being better conditioned has really helped our game.When other teams are getting tired, we already have our second wind.”
The Tigers are currently 4-1 after beating Stetson for its third road win of the season. LSU begins the conference portion of their schedule on Sept. 24. Coach Fotopoulos has hired first year assistant coach Tracy Hay to give the staff an SEC connection.
Hay was a member of the Florida Gator team that won the 1998 NCAA Championship. Hay, who played under her maiden name, Tracy Ward, was also a member of three SEC Championship squads.
“When George and Tracy arrived, everyone was a little nervous,” Dean said. “We didn’t know anything about them or their coaching style. But they are great coaches. They’re straightforward, and they know what it takes to win. George has really taken us under his wing and shown us what winning is all about.”
The coaching staff will have to rely on the small number of upper-classmen on this years squad to help guide the large number of freshmen. Of the eight players that have started all four games so far this year, five are freshmen and three are sophomores.
“Because there are so many freshmen, all the upper-classmen have taken on leadership role,” explained Dean. “They don’t know much about the school, and they don’t know much about the routine. I think all the upper-classmen are doing their best to guide the freshmen.”
Dean is accustomed to playing above herself. She was held back in first grade and was always a year behind in high school and in club teams. But she was tired of being held behind and wanted to graduate in ’99 where she belonged. So Dean took summer classes and finished high school in just three years.
“My choices for college came down to Florida St. and LSU,” Dean said. “For some reason, LSU just stuck in my head. I knew it wasn’t the best program, but it was a good fit, and I felt I could come in and immediately help the team.”
So far she has done just that. This year is just a stepping stone to building the program right. This season is off to a positive start, but the Tigers will need to maintain some consistency to finish the year as well as they have begun.
“I’m glad we came out with two victories in the first weekend because we did not play like we are capable. We didn’t play very well. But the good start has really built our confidence. It has shown us that we can win. And maybe a little confidence is all this team needs.”