BATON ROUGE — LSU soccer head coach George Fotopoulos has signed seven talented recruits to add to his roster for the 2001 Tiger season, it was announced Thursday.
“Overall, I think that we have recruited some very athletic girls with good soccer backgrounds that will help our team tremendously,” said Fotopoulos.
“After losing only one impact player in senior Somalia Lindsey, we have a young and promising team returning. We had a good season last year, but it takes several more good years to become a national program. We are going to take it one year at a time, trying to improve each year. These recruits will be a big part in helping the Tigers to the next level. “
Danielle Keath played forward and midfield at Satellite High School in Melbourne, Fla. Keath is the leading scorer in the state of Florida and was named team MVP the past two years.
Christine Haman comes to LSU after playing forward and midfielder at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga. She also played club soccer for the Atlanta Tophatters ’01 Gold and is a member of the Olympic Development Program. Haman is one of the leading scorers in the state of Georgia.
“We got two legitimate forwards in Keath and Haman that can help Kara Dean with the scoring load in the front. They are both one of the top scorers in their states and should do well for the Tigers,” said Fotopoulos.
From Lawrenceville, Ga., Suzanne Drake comes to LSU after playing fullback at St. Pius X Catholic High School and for the Tophat ’01 Gold. Drake helped lead her team to the AAA State Championship in 1998 and was named the team MVP as a sophomore in 1999.
Mallery Sausser will be a skilled defensive player for the Tigers. Sausser comes to LSU after playing for the Colorado Rush Under 18 Nike team. She was a member of the Region 4 pool Olympic Development Team.
“Sausser and Drake will both add a lot to our defense that was one of the best in the SEC last year. Both are very athletic, with Sausser standing out on the left side,” said Fotopoulos.
Two of the Tiger recruits are twins from Jackson Central-Merry High School in Jackson, Tenn. Jennifer and Jessica King were each four year lettermen at their high school and captains of the team the past three years. Jessica was team MVP in 1997 and ’98 with Jennifer winning the award in 1999 and 2000.
Jennifer has lead her team in scoring the past three seasons and was named to the All-District team each year. Jessica was the team’s best defensive player in 1999 and 2000 and a member of the All-District team for three years as well. Both girls were members of the Memphis Futbol Club team.
“The Kings are our first set of twins at LSU. They have a very good soccer background and are very versatile players. They are able to play several positions, which should really help our team, ” added Fotopoulos.
Laura Desobry is a central midfielder from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. The four year letterwinner was a 2000 All-Metropolitan and All-County first team selection. She played club soccer for the Freestate United, who were the Maryland State Cup Finalists in 2000.
“Desobry will be a needed addition to our central midfield. She is a good player and knows the position well,” said Fotopoulos.