BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team was selected to finish in fourth place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division by the league’s 12 head coaches it announced by the SEC office Monday.
The Tigers return six starters and 13 letterwinners to a team that finished 8-11-1 overall and in sixth place in the SEC West in 2004. First-year head coach Brian Lee is excited about the upcoming season and welcomes the challenge of improving the team’s conference standing from a year ago.
“Preseason polls are what they are, and we’re excited about the challenge of finishing above that this fall,” Lee said. “There is a line drawn in the sand for us to shoot for and we are determined to improve as a team from what we’ve done the last couple of years.”
Senior defender Tara Mitnick is one of the team’s three senior captains along with defender Holly Davis and midfielder Kate Ripple, and she is excited by the potential of this year’s team.
“Everyone seems to be really positive about this season,” Mitnick said. “It’s a new beginning for us with the coaching staff, and we all have a clean slate. As seniors, we are trying to provide good leadership. We have a lot of new players who have a chance to step up and contribute. We know we can succeed, and we are determined to take this team as far as we can.”
Florida was selected as the favorite to claim the SEC title in 2005 by receiving six first-place votes. Defending champion Tennessee received five first-place votes, while Western Division favorite Auburn received one.
“Auburn, Tennessee and Florida have now done it for a few years where they’re solidly established as top-20 programs,” Lee said. “For us, they are the hurdle to climb and the step to reach up to. Hopefully, in short order, that conversation can include LSU.”
The Tigers open the season Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. against the Oregon State Beavers in the Oregon Classic in Eugene, while the SEC slate kicks off on the road against Kentucky on Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m.
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
SEC Champion: Florida (6), Tennessee (5), Auburn (1)
EASTERN DIVISION
Team
Tennessee
Florida
Vanderbilt
Georgia
South Carolina
Kentucky
WESTERN DIVISION
Team
Auburn
Ole Miss
Alabama
LSU
Mississippi St.
Arkansas