BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team and first-year head coach Brian Lee held the first of four two-a-day practice sessions Wednesday at the LSU Soccer Complex to begin preparations for the 2005 season opener against Oregon State at the Oregon Classic in Eugene, Aug. 26.
The team reported to the Bernie Moore Track Stadium at 7 a.m. for a conditioning test before moving to the Soccer Complex to work on fundamentals and participate in a short scrimmage. A second practice was held at 7 p.m., and Lee said he was pleased with the condition of the team and the effort that was shown on the first day of fall camp.
“The first day of practice went about as well as can be expected,” Lee said. “The upperclassmen looked great, and I’m pleased with the fitness of the team. The freshmen looked ready and eager to learn and compete. The players really have a great attitude about themselves, and we liked everything we saw.”
Senior midfielder Kate Ripple said she was unsure of what to expect on the first day of practice with the new coaching staff and eight true freshmen reporting to camp for the first time.
“Practice went really well today,” Ripple said. “None of us really knew what to expect with the new coaching staff and so many newcomers practicing for the first time, but it went great. We have worked hard all summer and it shows. We went through a fitness test this morning, and everyone seems to be in great shape.”
Ripple has earned the honor of being a team captain along with senior defenders Holly Davis and Tara Mitnick, and she believes it is important to provide the team with the leadership it needs to succeed in the 2005 season.
“It’s great how the three of us are captains this year,” Ripple said. “We provide the team with different types of leadership. Tara is a vocal leader and people really seem to listen to what she says. I like to lead by example. I want the other players to see how hard I work and be motivated to do the same. Holly is really a mixture of both. We just need to combine all of our talents to show this team what it takes to succeed at this level.”
The team will return to the practice field Thursday at 2 p.m. for its first of eight one-a-day practice sessions before the season opener followed by two practices Friday and one practice Saturday.