Freshman midfielder Melissa Clarke is in her first season with the LSU women’s soccer team and is a player who head coach Brian Lee says has the ability to “make an immediate impact on the program.” Clarke graduated from Norcross High School in Norcross, Ga., with a 4.0 GPA and was named a Soccer Buzz Top 50 Recruit in 2005.
She has earned numerous awards, including the honor of being a U.S. Youth All-American in 2004 and a member of the U16 U.S. National Team the last two years. Clarke hopes to lead the LSU soccer program to the top of the SEC and the nation in her time in Baton Rouge. The entries in this diary are meant to chronicle Clarke’s experiences in her first season as a Division I student-athlete.
Aug. 31, 2005: Diary Entry #3:
Our first game of the season was held in the Beaver State — Oregon. This was by far the farthest Northwest that I had ever traveled, and the tall evergreens, rolling hills, and cool, non-humid weather conditions were a big change coming from Louisiana.
Before our first game on Friday against Oregon State, the positive energy and chemistry could be felt throughout the team. This helped us start the game strong and find our rhythm. In the first two minutes of the game, a combination between the midfielders sent a ball into Joleen Phillips, one of our forwards, and she beat the goalkeeper who came out to challenge to put us ahead, 1-0. It was a hard fought game in which everyone as a whole stepped up and played well, but a lack of communication and organization caused us to give up two goals in the second half and overtime. The game ended 2-1 in favor of Oregon State.
Saturday gave us time to reflect and correct our mistakes from the previous day. On Sunday against Oregon, we needed to be ready to compete with everything that we had — no excuses or exceptions. The first 20 to 25 minutes of the game replayed like Friday’s game with us having most of the possessions with the ball. However, we did not score the first goal. At around the 34th minute, Oregon scored on a penalty kick to put us behind by one goal. We needed to regain our focus and fighting mentality, and coach Brian Lee helped me with exactly that with his halftime speech. Although we did struggle and give up another goal to the Ducks, we learned a huge lesson during the second half — DON’T GIVE UP. The game isn’t over until the final whistle blows. For this young team, we need to realize that the game has only just begun.
To rebound and keep our eyes on the prize, Brian asked Sara Pollock (a sophomore midfielder) to give a great speech to the team about her tremendous pride for LSU. She has been a part of the LSU family since she can remember, partly due to the fact that her mother, D-D Breaux, has been the head coach of the women’s gymnastics team for many years. What she said felt true to all of us. It is in pride that we find the will to step up and fight for what is ours. It is in pride that we can confidently stand, put on our jerseys and represent our town, our school and most of all one another.
“Take pride, and enjoy it”
— Sara Pollock #6
GEAUX TIGERS!!!