BATON ROUGE — LSU soccer freshman Mo Isom signed with the Tigers as one of the premier goalkeeper recruits in the country for the Class of 2008, and she solidified her position among the nation’s best Thursday as Soccer Buzz Magazine named her a national Top 75 recruit.
With the release of its Top 200 Recruits this week, the publication has ranked Isom among the top six goalkeepers in the United States for the Class of 2008.
Isom, who enrolled for the spring semester following a brilliant career at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., played like a seasoned veteran during LSU’s challenging spring exhibition season as she finished with four shutouts in six matches.
She wasted no time in making her presence known to the rest of women’s college soccer as she opened the spring season Feb. 16 with back-to-back shutouts against national powers North Carolina and Duke at the SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., which is scheduled to be the host site for the 2008 NCAA Women’s College Cup in December.
The Tar Heels have set the standard for all women’s college soccer programs across the country as the side has won an unprecedented 18 national championships in its storied history. After winning its last title in 2006, UNC ended the 2007 season ranked as high as No. 6 in the rankings.
The Blue Devils, who have made 14 trips to the NCAA Tournament with one appearance in the College Cup all-time, finished the 2007 season ranked as high as No. 15 nationally.
Isom went on to lead the Tigers to shutouts over a pair of in-state opponents as the squad blanked Southeastern Louisiana by a 1-0 margin on April 1 and rolled past Northwestern State with a dominating 6-0 victory at the LSU Soccer Complex on April 8. She wrapped up the spring season with a sparkling 0.375 goals against average and a 2-1-3 overall record.
Isom is one of the most decorated recruits to ever sign with the Tigers as she was named a youth All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2006 and followed that with an all-region selection by the organization in 2007.
She participated with the Region III Olympic Development Program Team for three seasons and competed internationally with the squad as an Under-17 U.S. adidas All-Star.
Isom is set to make her regular season debut Aug. 22 as the Tigers open the 2008 season at home against South Alabama in a match scheduled for 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex. They will begin the defense of their first ever Southeastern Conference Western Division championship on Sept. 26 as they travel to Starkville, Miss., to take on the Mississippi State.