BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer signing class continues to receive recognition as one of the top classes in the country for the 2006 recruiting year as it has been ranked No. 7 in the preliminary class rankings released by Soccer Buzz Magazine.
The publication’s final rankings will not be released until it receives confirmation of all Division 1-A signings later in the spring.
This incoming group of Tigers is the first ranked in the top 10 in the program’s 11-year history and features eight members of the Soccer Buzz Top 150 for 2006, which only perennial power North Carolina can match.
Katherine Lagow, Michelle Makasini, Malorie Rutledge and Rachel Yepez have been named Soccer Buzz Top 75 Recruits, while Nikki Bush, Amanda Carreno and Chelsea Potts are Top 100 Recruits and Kathleen Walsh is a Top 150 Recruit. In addition, Rachel Hartman and Brittany Lowe have been named Top 200 Recruits by the publication.
“Coach Brian Lee worked fast to put LSU on the soccer map,” said a press release on Soccer Buzz’s official Web site, www.soccerbuzz.com. “This class is certainly top 10 and could inch up a spot or two when all is said and done.”
LSU’s is the only class in the Southeastern Conference ranked in the top 10 with Georgia being the only other school receiving consideration for the top 25. The rest of the top 10 features many of the country’s premier programs, including North Carolina, Notre Dame, UCLA and defending national champion Portland.