BATON ROUGE — LSU midfielder Michelle Makasini capitalized on her outstanding play on the soccer field this week by being named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week as announced by the league office Monday.
Makasini led the Tigers (3-1) to three wins on the week by scoring a team-leading four goals and recording one assist. She scored game-winning goals against UL-Lafayette on Tuesday and Sam Houston State on Friday, while adding a pair of goals against Houston on Sunday for the first multi-goal game of her young career.
The Euless, Texas, native proved to be a constant threat to opposing goalkeepers as she tallied 14 total shots and seven shots on goal and finished the week as the Tigers’ leading scorer with nine points.
“It’s a great honor for me, but I’m happy the team was able to win a few games this week more than anything,” Makasini said. “We’re getting better and better as a team each game and are really getting used to playing with one another. Our potential is unreal and it’s a lot of fun for me to be able to play with these girls.”
LSU head coach Brian Lee believes that this is further evidence of why Makasini was considered one of the top high school recruits in the country for the Class of 2006 and that she has the potential to mature into one of the best players at the Division I level.
“Michelle is the type of player that we as coaches can build a championship program around,” Lee said. “She’s a special talent and has the potential to mature into one of the best players in the college game. She’s a great kid who comes from a great family and there’s no doubt in my mind that she will have success on and off the field here at LSU.”
Makasini and the Tigers return to action this weekend as they travel to Annapolis, Md., to take on Navy and Villanova in matches scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively. LSU returns to the LSU Soccer Complex on Sept. 13 to take on 13th-ranked Texas at 7 p.m.