BATON ROUGE — LSU head soccer coach Brian Lee has been a busy man in recent weeks as he prepares for the start of the 2007 season, and he wrapped up a trip to Oklahoma City earlier this week where eight Tigers were in action at the 2007 USYS Southern Regional Championships.
Sophomore midfielder Malorie Rutledge just missed winning a team title as she helped lead her Atlanta-based Concorde Fire club team to the semifinals of the Region III tournament, which is sponsored as part of the U.S. Youth Soccer Championship Series.
Sophomores Michelle Makasini, Melissa Clarke, Katherine Lagow, Brittany Lowe and Lindsay Lum also saw action with their respective club teams at the yearly regional competition. Makasini competed for the Dallas Texans Red 88 North club team, while Clarke, Lagow, Lowe and Lum each competed with Texas-based TSC Challenge.
In addition, sophomore Amanda Carreno competed in her home state as a member of Tulsa Soccer Club, while fellow sophomore Kennedy Richards suited up for Baton Rouge Soccer Club.
“We’re excited about the development of our returning players during this off-season,” Lee said. “We had several of our kids play very well at regionals this past weekend, and it was a chance for them to get some games under their belt. Many of the others are still here on campus working on their fitness with our strength coaches while attending summer school.”
After returning from Oklahoma, Lee made his yearly trip to Montevallo, Ala., to resume his duties on the Region III Olympic Developmental Program coaching staff at the annual two-week summer camp from July 5-20. This marks the second season that he has served as an assistant coach on the Region III staff, while he has been on staff in varying capacities since 1999.
“I am fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to work with ODP over the years,” Lee said. “It’s allowed me to further myself as a coach by working alongside fellow coaches in the business, and it also gives me the chance to work with some of the best youth players in the country.”
When Lee returns to Baton Rouge, he will prepare for final two summer camp sessions with day camps scheduled for July 23-27 and two residential camps scheduled for July 23-27 and July 27-29. Detailed information on Lee’s soccer camps is available online at www.tigersoccercamp.com.
“We’ve experienced tremendous success with our first two camps this summer as each sold out for the first time since we’ve been here at LSU,” Lee said. “We’re excited about our upcoming camps later this month as we expect another great turnout. Soccer is Spots are filling up fast for our last two camp sessions.”
The Tigers are set to kick off the 2007 season at home as they welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles of Conference USA to the LSU Soccer Complex in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. They follow with a home match against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 2 at 1:30 p.m.