By: R.J. Marse
LSU Sports Information
After a 2006 season that marked a giant step toward success for LSU Soccer, the team came into 2007 with higher expectations than ever before ? expectations that the team has lived up to and more.
This season, LSU was ranked among the nation’s top 25 squads for the first time (they are currently No. 20 in the Soccer America Top 25). The team also boasts the SEC’s leading scorer in sophomore forward Rachel Yepez, who has 11 goals and 24 points on the year. LSU also outscores its opponents by 1.41 goals per game, the best ratio in the SEC.
Putting the statistics together with great performances against premier opponents, including a 3-0 drubbing of sixth-ranked Tennessee, the Tigers are no longer just a team with loads of talent and potential. They’re now a winner that deserves to be considered one of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference.
“We were a young team last year that didn’t really know what we were getting into,” said head coach Brian Lee. “We didn’t have the physical preparation we had this year and we lost a lot of games late. This year we’re winning those games.”
It’s perfect timing for a group of seniors who have seen their class cut in half and experienced a coaching change during their collegiate careers. This particular group, only three in number, will leave a lasting mark on LSU Soccer long after they are gone.
Their careers at the LSU Soccer Complex come to an end Thursday night as the Tigers take on South Carolina in the final home game of the season. It’s also Senior Night for Caroline Vanderpool, Valerie Vogler and Sara Pollock. Their soccer careers began far from one another and will likely finish that way, but for four years they came together to lead LSU to its finest season yet.
“They’ve had to go through something that no one else has had to go through in the history of the program with the coaching transition,” said Lee, who is in his third year as head coach. “It’s a tremendous testament to their character and their steadfast approach to the game.”
LSU athletics have always been a part of Pollock’s life. A forward, Pollock is a Baton Rouge native and the daughter of head gymnastics coach D.D. Breaux, who has been at LSU since 1976. She has grown up a fan and takes her lifelong love for the Tigers to the soccer field every time she runs onto the pitch.
Pollock’s contributions to the team aren’t easily seen during a game. It’s the intangibles that she brings to the field every day that make her one of the most valuable members of the team.
“Sarah is the best leader I have ever played with at any level,” Vogler said. “Without Sarah, we would not be as successful as we have been this season.”
“She works as hard as anyone on the team,” Vanderpool said, “Maybe harder.”
The work ethic and attitude Pollock displays helps her personify leadership for this year’s team.
“Sarah is possibly the most important player in terms of the coaching transition over the past three years,” Lee said. “We feel like she’s had a great deal to do with the success of the program.”
“She doesn’t play all that much and it takes a special person to lead from the bench, but she’s been able to do it. She’s been outstanding.”
Unlike Pollock, Vanderpool is not from Baton Rouge. She isn’t even from the United States.
Vanderpool, a defensive midfielder, hails from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Canada where she has competed as a member of the Canadian Under-20 National Team. She brings and international pedigree to a roster filled with underclassmen. But make no mistake about it, she brings plenty of talent and ability as well.
“Caroline has progressed from being a very good college player to one of the very best in the country,” Lee said, “Wherever we put her we know we’ll have one of the best players in the SEC.”
While she does bring a wealth of experience and knowledge of game preparation and a professional outlook to the team, Lee said Vanderpool also plays with an exceptional amount of determination and drive.
Her teammates see it a little bit differently.
“She’s spunky,” Pollock said.
In past years, Vanderpool became so determined and driven at times that in-game conversations with referees were common. She says she now directs that energy into playing instead of arguing calls.
“After all, I figured that I could make more of a difference being on the field than off it because I said something I shouldn’t have,” Vanderpool said.
Vogler’s demeanor off the field is quite an accurate portrayal of her attitude on it ? steady. In conversation, the goalkeeper provides a lucid answer to every question and displays complete control over her emotions.
On the field Vogler is no different, which must be why her teammates and coaches all choose the same words to describe her.
“She’s steady and composed,” Lee said.
“She’s so steady back there,” Vanderpool said.
“Valerie’s so steady, she really is our rock,” Pollock said.
Vogler’s approach to the game is an analytical one.
This comes as no surprise from the St. Louis native, who will graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
“I like to make sure everyone is where they need to be all the time,” Vogler said. “It’s my job and I feel responsible for making great play possible by having the players in the position to do it.”
While their careers began far away from one another and will likely end that way, for a special four years Sara Pollock, Caroline Vanderpool and Valerie Vogler helped lay the foundation for future greatness in LSU Soccer.
Though they are just three in number, the impact of this senior class on the program and the respect earned from their teammates are both innumerable and unlimited.