BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team wrapped up its first week of fall practice Saturday with a 7 a.m. workout at the LSU Soccer Complex and is set to take part in Fan Day activities Sunday on the South Lawn outside Tiger Stadium beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Head coach Brian Lee said he has been pleased with what he has seen from his team this early in the preseason and that it is eagerly anticipating its season opener against SMU on Aug. 25.
“Our workouts have been great and we’ve had a tremendous first week of practice as we get ready for the season,” Lee said. “The upperclassmen have reported in great shape and are showing the kind of leadership that we expect, and the freshmen are picking things up very quickly and proving why they were so highly regarded coming in.”
Lee has been particularly pleased with the leadership shown by senior captain Joleen Phillips, who is one of just two seniors on the roster in 2006. The Indianapolis native started her fall camp with a bang Tuesday by winning the team’s fitness test.
“Jo is going to be a great asset from a leadership standpoint this season considering we are so young,” Lee said. “She’s proven to us that she is capable of filling that role. We’re also going to count on players like Melissa Clarke and Roslyn Jones early on. Melissa is in fantastic shape and appears to be in top form, and Roslyn will be a great scoring threat for us this year.”
Lee believes that a number of freshmen have the opportunity to crack the starting lineup in the fall, and that is especially true in the midfield. He said this might be the deepest position on the field and will be a strongpoint for the Tigers for years to come.
“Our midfield will be a strongpoint for us this year because we’re deep and very talented,” Lee said. “We’re also young because we have a number of freshmen battling for playing time. Tiger fans will have the opportunity to watch this group mature and develop over the next four years, and it ought to be a lot of fun to watch.”
Freshman Chelsea Potts has stepped up along the back line after the Tigers lost the services of senior stalwarts Holly Davis and Tara Mitnick from last year’s team and Jones moved up top in the spring. Lee has been impressed with Potts’ progress this early in camp and expects her to anchor LSU’s back line in the fall.
“Chelsea has come in and picked things up nicely for us at center back,” Lee said. “That’s another position where we will be very young, and she has done an outstanding job of organizing our back line during camp. She will be the anchor of our back line for the next four years and is looking forward to a bright future in Baton Rouge.”
Fans have their first opportunity to meet this year’s team as part of Fan Day festivities beginning Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Players will sign autographs and set up games for kids to play until the gates of Tiger Stadium open at 2:30 p.m., and posters and schedule cards will be passed out by members of the LSU Marketing and Promotions Department.
“I’m excited and I know the girls are excited to meet some of the great fans that we have,” Lee said. “It’s going to be an exciting season of soccer in Baton Rouge, and our fans will play a big role in the success of the team this year. Their passion is second to none and they have a chance to come out and watch some great soccer in 2006.”