BATON ROUGE — The 2001 LSU soccer team officially began its quest for its first Southeastern Conference Western Division title on Monday, as 34 Tiger players reported to campus for the fall semester.
The Tigers return all but one starter from last season’s squad which recorded a school-best 15-6 overall record and qualified for the SEC Tournament for the second time in school history.
LSU’s second-year head coach George Fotopoulos has instilled a winning tradition in the Tiger soccer program and added 14 talented freshmen and two transfer players for the 2001 season.
The Tiger newcomers include three players from Louisiana in Artie Brown from University Lab High School and both Stacie McDougall and Candice Maricle from Mandeville.
Eight of LSU’s newcomers join the team from across the United States, while three incoming Tigers were recruited from different countries. Chelsea Agar and Jennifer Craig come to Baton Rouge from British Columbia, Canada, while Julie Hadzic had the longest trip to campus all the way from New South Wales, Australia.
Also reporting for the Tigers on Monday were juniors Kara Dean, Ashley Mitnick, Bonnie Otillio, Leigh McGovern, Melissa “Mo” Shelton, and Fallon Buckner.
Dean, the 2000 Louisiana Collegiate Soccer Player of the Year, led the Tigers in both goals scored and points last season. She scored 15 goals during the 2000 season and recorded 32 points on the year.
Mitnick, the Tigers’ team captain and defensive specialist, earned second-team All-SEC honors for the second-straight season last year and looks to help Otillio anchor the defense in 2001. After leading the SEC in goals against average last season with 1.06, Otillio returns as a dominating force in goal for the Tigers this season.
The LSU soccer team will begin practice for the 2001 season on Wednesday in preparation for the Tigers’ season opener against McNeese State on Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.