AUSTIN, Texas — The LSU soccer team kicked off its spring exhibition season with a bang this past weekend as it blanked the reigning Big 12 champion Oklahoma State Cowgirls by a score of 3-0 on Saturday night as part of the Lonestar Showcase at Williamson County Regional Park.
Oklahoma State won its first ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship this fall after it posted an impressive 18-1-4 overall record and 7-1-2 mark in conference play.
Not only that, but Oklahoma State finished the season ranked No. 7 nationally in the final Soccer America Top 25 poll, while the Tigers followed at No. 14 in the final Soccer America ranking.
“Oklahoma State is a quality opponent and they play a very attractive style of soccer. The success they had in the Big 12 this year is a testament to that,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “This was a very good start to the spring season for us. I thought the wind was a major factor, and being able to go up a goal playing against the wind was a key for us in the game.”
Junior Rachel Yepez put the Tigers on top 1-0 in the 15th minute of play after receiving a diagonal through ball from fellow junior Brittany Lowe and firing a shot into the back of the net from 18 yards out. Yepez finished the 2008 season as LSU’s third-leading goal scorer with eight.
“Rachel continues to progress from season to season and her goal tonight was excellent,” Lee said. “We’re hopeful she and Kellie Murphy will develop a partnership similar to the one she had with Roslyn Jones. Tonight was a solid step in that direction for both of them.”
Junior All-SEC performer Melissa Clarke put the game out of reach with two second-half goals in the 50th and 64th minutes of play.
Clarke pushed the LSU advantage to 2-0 in the 50th minute after making one of her patented runs through the middle of the Oklahoma State defense and finishing with a shot into the back of the net. She then fired a left-footed strike inside the far post in the 64th minute after receiving a pass from junior Amanda Carreno in the right side of the penalty area.
“Melissa Clarke has taken hold of her role as an attacking midfielder and showed her quality with two class goals in the second half,” Lee said. “She is a joy to watch and to coach. She is playing at such a high level and will be a legitimate All-America candidate for us in the fall.
“This is also a big spring for some of our other midfielders like Veronica Godbolt and Brittany Lowe to establish themselves while Malorie Rutledge, Courtney Alexander and Taryne Boudreau are out. I thought both made major contributions tonight. Veronica did her job well holding down the middle, and Brittany is another example of what can happen when you combine hard work in strength and conditioning and coachability. She was steady and solid all night.”
Freshman All-American Mo Isom picked up the shutout after playing all 90 minute in goal as she continues to show just why she is one of the top young goalkeepers in all of college soccer.
“I thought Allysha Chapman slid comfortably into the team for her first time in a game with us,” Lee said. “All five backs were solid tonight and stayed organized throughout, and Mo Isom keeps maturing as a player and was dominant again tonight.”
The Lonestar Soccer Club invites many of the nation’s premier teams to Austin each year to play in the Lonestar Showcase, and the president of the LSC is LSU graduate Rod Favaron. Dave Smith, the director of girls coaching, and Hue Menzies, the club’s college liaison, helped organize one of the nation’s premier college soccer events of the spring season.
Among the teams invited to compete at this year’s Lonestar Showcase include Miami, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech.
“We appreciate the Lonestar Soccer Club for inviting us to play in their showcase this year,” Lee said. “Dave Smith and Hue Menzies have done an outstanding job of putting this event together, and we’re fortunate to be able to play against this level of competition during the spring season. I know our team had a great experience in Austin, and we hope to come back again in the future.”
The Tigers will continue their spring exhibition season this weekend as they travel to Mandeville, La., to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at 4 p.m.