BATON ROUGE — Head coach Brian Lee and the LSU soccer team have wrapped up fall camp and are set to kick off the 2006 season on the road against SMU on Friday in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. at the UTD Soccer Complex on the campus of UT-Dallas in Richardson, Texas.
This marks the second year in a row that the Tigers have opened up on the road as they kicked off the 2005 season against the Oregon State Beavers in the Oregon Classic in Eugene. LSU owns an 8-3 record all-time in season openers and has won seven of its last eight.
“Preseason camp has been a tremendous experience for this team and we’re excited to start the season Friday night against a quality opponent like SMU,” Lee said. “The girls have worked very hard so far this fall and are improving each day. They’ve come together and have shown the commitment it takes to succeed at this level.”
The Tigers will need that team chemistry to shine against an experienced SMU squad that returns 10 starters from a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The Tigers and Mustangs have squared off on two separate occasions with the last coming at the end of the 1999 season when 22nd-ranked SMU defeated LSU, 3-0, in Baton Rouge.
“We really start our season off with a bang by playing a team the caliber of SMU,” Lee said. “They have a tremendous NCAA pedigree and will start the same team on Friday that fell in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament this past year. It’s a great challenge for us right off the bat but one I know the girls are looking forward to.”
The Tigers open the season with the most talented roster in the program’s 11-year history as they welcome the services of 12 freshmen comprising the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class signed by Lee in the spring. Included in that number are seven of the top 100 high schools seniors in the country for the Class of 2006.
Despite the improved talent level of this year’s squad, Lee knows that team chemistry will play a major role in the success of his team in 2006 as 18 of the 24 players who will suit up for the Tigers this fall are underclassmen.
“This was as good a preseason camp as I’ve been a part of and we feel very comfortable with our team heading into the season, despite being so young,” Lee said. “We’ll be competing this year with a very talented group. We’re all excited about what this season will bring and our program taking the next step to becoming one of the elite teams in the SEC.”
The Tigers return to Baton Rouge for their home opener against in-state rival UL-Lafayette on Tuesday at 7 p.m. followed by their first home weekend of the season as Sam Houston State and Houston come to the LSU Soccer Complex in matches scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday for 1 p.m., respectively.