BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team has wrapped up one of the more difficult spring schedules in all of women’s college soccer and head coach Brian Lee talked Wednesday about the progress of his young team through its five exhibition matches.
“We felt that it was important in the development of our young team to play one of the toughest spring schedules in the country,” Lee said. “We faced many of the nation’s top teams this spring, and our players have really matured on and off the field over the last two months.”
The Tigers finished the spring season with a 2-2-1 overall record as they opened on the road with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of national power Texas A&M on Feb. 24.
The Aggies finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as they advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion North Carolina by the score of 3-2 on Nov. 25.
The Tigers took to the road once again to square off against a pair of ACC powers as they earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., on March 23 before falling to Duke by the score of 2-0 in Durham on March 25.
The Demon Deacons finished the regular season ranked as high as No. 19 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while the Blue Devils also earned a spot in the second round as they were ranked as high as No. 12 by the NSCAA during the regular season.
LSU evened its record with a dominating 9-1 win at home over in-state rival Northwestern State on March 27 before playing to a 2-2 draw against SEC rival Ole Miss in Ridgeland, Miss., on March 31 prior to an MLS contest between the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA.
“This team has certainly grown and matured over the last two months and they have proven to themselves that they can compete with the very best teams in the country,” Lee said. “I’m proud of the fact that each player took a positive step forward as we head into the off-season.”
Sophomore Roslyn Jones finished the spring as the team’s leading scorer as she netted four goals in five matches, while freshman Rachel Yepez tallied a pair of goals of her own. The duo is poised to form one of the SEC’s elite front lines when the 2007 season kicks off in August.
“Those two are developing a very nice partnership up front and will lead our front line in the fall,” Lee said. “It has been great to see their development up front over the past nine months, and I believe they are ready to have a tremendous season for us in the fall.”
A number of Tigers also solidified their position in the midfield during the spring exhibition season, including sophomore Veronica Godbolt, who missed the entire 2006 season with a knee injury, and freshmen Amanda Carreno, Katherine Lagow, Brittany Lowe and Kathleen Walsh.
Godbolt’s emergence in the defensive midfield allowed Lagow to move into a more attacking role on the offensive end, while Lowe and Walsh showed dramatic improvement along the wings and Carreno made important strides in the middle.
“Veronica had a solid spring for us after coming back from a serious knee injury, and Katherine was able to flourish in her new role as a result,” Lee said. “Brittany and Kathleen started to assert themselves on the wings beginning with our match against Northwestern State, and Amanda’s play this spring was like night and day from the fall.”
LSU’s back line is also poised to have a breakout season in 2007 led by one of the premier young center backs in the nation in All-SEC standout freshman Chelsea Potts. Potts started all 20 games for the Tigers during her rookie season en route to earning Second-Team All-SEC recognition.
“Chelsea is becoming increasingly dominant along the back line and she is really becoming one of the premier center backs in the country,” Lee said. “She shows a tremendous work ethic day in and day out in practice and in games, and I think she is ready to take her game to another level.”
Potts will be joined along the back line by the likes of sophomore Casey Crawford and fellow freshman Nikki Bush, who combined for 40 starts in their first season with the Tigers in the fall.
“Nikki Bush and Casey Crawford have also played very well for us this spring, and we’re looking for big things from them,” Lee said. “They’ve been a nice compliment to Chelsea in the back and have shown a great amount of consistency in their play. I’m excited with the growth and maturity I’ve seen in our back line over the past few months.”
The Tigers will also be led by a trio of seniors when the 2007 season kicks as forward Sara Pollock, defender Caroline Vanderpool and goalkeeper Valerie Vogler are set to suit up for the squad one final time in their LSU careers.
“Our three seniors have really increased their leadership role on and off the field this spring,” Lee said. “That is something that is always important for the long-term success of any program, and we have been fortunate to have great leadership from our upperclassmen in my time here.”
Lee said that Vanderpool has proven to be an especially valuable asset for the squad as she has played a number of positions during the spring exhibition season after playing primarily as a defensive left back during the regular season this past fall.
“Caroline has really been on great form throughout the spring while playing in a number of spots,” Lee said. “She’s played left wing, center mid and left back, and she has really proven to be one of the top international players in our league during her career here in Baton Rouge.”
Lee will continue to lead his team through strength and conditioning drills along with small group and positional training through the end of the spring semester before returning for fall camp in the month of August.
“The players have shown a tremendous dedication to fitness this spring, and that is something that must continue through the fall,” Lee said. “It’s important for us to continue that through fall camp when we get a chance to integrate our new players. We’re looking forward to an exciting season in 2007.”
The Tigers will open the 2007 season at home as they welcome Southern Miss to the LSU Soccer Complex on Aug. 31 in a match scheduled for 7 p.m.