BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team will kick off the 2008 season next weekend as the reigning SEC West champions, and the Tigers were picked to defend their crown in a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches released by the SEC office Thursday.
The Tigers are a true contender in the Southeastern Conference as they return nine starters from a squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
LSU received a total of seven first-place votes and 62 points to repeat as SEC West champions to finish just ahead of the five first-place votes and 59 points awarded to Auburn. Ole Miss was third in the division with 45 points to mirror the top three finishers from 2007.
“We’re certainly honored that the coaches think enough of our team to rank us as the preseason favorite to win the West once again, but that means absolutely nothing when we lace up the cleats for the first time,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “It’s important for us to continue to work hard every day in practice to become the best team we can be.
“That’s where games will be won with our girls giving it everything they’ve got for one another each time they step onto the field. We will only go as far as the team will take us.”
Despite returning only five starters from a team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, the Florida Gators have been tabbed as the favorite to win their third straight SEC championship in 2008 as they received a total of seven first-place votes in the overall standings. Tennessee received three votes to win the league title, while Georgia received two first-place votes.
“The SEC was as wide open as it’s ever been a year ago, and I don’t think this year will be any different,” Lee said. “There’s tremendous parity in the league right now, and that was evident last year with six teams receiving an NCAA bid. I can see the same thing happening again this fall.”
The Tigers open the season Aug. 22 with a home match against South Alabama as they will battle the Jaguars at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex. Tickets are still available for the Tigers’ much anticipated season opener, and fans can even reserve their season tickets for all 11 of LSU’s home matches by logging on to www.LSUsports.net or calling the LSU ticket office at 225-578-2184.
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
SEC Champion: Florida (7), Tennessee (3), Georgia (2)
EASTERN DIVISION
Team (First Place Votes) Total Points
Florida (7) 59
Tennessee (3) 55
Georgia (2) 52
South Carolina 37
Vanderbilt 23
Kentucky 20
WESTERN DIVISION
Team (First Place Votes) Total Points
LSU (7) 62
Auburn (5) 59
Ole Miss 45
Alabama 30
Arkansas 30
Mississippi State 20