LSU has emerged as one of the premier women’s soccer programs in the Southeastern Conference after winning back-to-back SEC Western Division championships and earning consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and 2008. The 2009 season is right around the corner, and the Tigers will look to continue their success as they open up Aug. 21 with a match against Memphis scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at the LSU Soccer Complex.
First in a five-part series previewing the upcoming season gives an overview of what LSU fans can expect from the Tigers this fall.
Recipe for a Three-Peat
If there was ever any doubt about LSU’s claim as being one of the premier soccer programs in the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers put it to rest in 2008 by capturing their second-straight SEC Western Division championship and earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
In fact, the Tigers enjoyed their most successful season in the history of the program by finishing second in the final SEC standings with a 14-4-2 overall record and 7-3-1 mark in league play.
There is no question that LSU has enjoyed its time in the national spotlight over the last two seasons and is poised to continue its success this fall as it seeks its third SEC West crown and trip to the NCAA Tournament in as many seasons.
The mastermind behind LSU’s meteoric rise to national prominence is head coach Brian Lee, who is in his fifth season leading a program that enters the 2009 season with expectations like never before. The Tigers are poised to take the next step this fall and contend for their first overall conference championship as they return eight full-time starters from a year ago and are set to compete with an experienced roster with eight seniors and one junior in the playing rotation.
“We’re all very proud of what this team was able to accomplish last year, and we feel like we have the kind of team returning that can make another run at an SEC championship again this season,” Lee said. “I think a key for us this year will be the experience that we have returning. We’ve been a very young team the past two or three years, but now we will compete with a roster filled with upperclassmen who have all experienced great success at this level.”
The Tigers feature one of the more feared offensive attacks in the SEC and are sure to pack a devastating punch in the attacking third once again this fall as they return 32 goals and 101 points from a team that finished the 2008 season ranked No. 2 in the SEC in both categories.
That includes the return of the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year as senior Malorie Rutledge looks to lead the LSU attack again after earning consensus All-America honors in 2008.
Rutledge led the Tigers’ offensive explosion in 2008 by finishing the season with nine goals and a school record 18 assists for 36 points. In fact, her 18 assists ranks No. 2 all-time in the SEC for a single season. Rutledge also earned her second career first-team All-SEC honor.
Rutledge will be joined by fellow All-SEC midfielder Melissa Clarke and all-region forward Rachel Yepez to form a potent attack that is sure to wreak havoc on opposing defenses once again this fall. Clarke is a two-time second-team All-SEC performer during her collegiate career, while Yepez is a two-time All-Central Region performer in her own right.
“We take great pride in our ability to play an attacking style of soccer that is able to put a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing defenses. We look for more of the same in our attack this fall,” Lee said. “It’s been a great advantage to have someone like Malorie Rutledge leading the way, but we also have a number of other players with the ability to earn all-conference honors at the end of the season. That’s true up top and in the midfield.”
The Tigers also have the potential to compete with a dominating defense this fall as they return an All-American in goal along with three starters across the back line that formed the No. 1 defensive unit in the SEC a year ago.
Sophomore Mo Isom earned Freshman All-America honors in 2008 after finishing the season with a league-leading and school-record 0.82 goals against average to go along with seven shutouts in 20 starts. Isom, who played every minute in goal for the Tigers during her freshman season, continued to develop over the summer as one of the top goalkeepers in the country as she was invited to train with the Under-23 U.S. Women’s National Team.
LSU will be led by a trio of seniors along the back line as Nikki Bush, Katherine Lagow and Chelsea Potts return a wealth of experience while combining for 161 starts during their respective careers. They also welcome the addition of U-20 Canadian National Team star Allysha Chapman to form perhaps the SEC’s strongest defensive unit again this season.
“This could be the best team defensively that we’ve had since we arrived at LSU five years ago,” Lee said. “The backbone of any championship program is a great defense, and we certainly have that kind of potential again this fall.”
The Tigers will prepare for another challenging run through the SEC slate with the most difficult non-conference schedule in the history of the program.
Defending national champion North Carolina highlights the non-conference slate as it marks the first time that the Tigers will battle the Tar Heels on the soccer pitch in program history. LSU will also square off against such NCAA Tournament veterans as Duke, Memphis and Central Florida before opening SEC play on the final weekend of September.
In the SEC, the Tigers will take on five teams that earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament a year ago. They welcome the likes of Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee to the LSU Soccer Complex in one of the most exciting home schedules in recent memory, while they must travel to face Auburn and Florida for a pair of challenging matches on the road.
“The SEC is as wide open as ever before, and there are a number of teams with the talent and experience to compete for the overall league title this season,” Lee said. “We’ve now had six teams earn the right to compete in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons, which speaks of the parity we see in the league week in and week out. We’re looking forward to another exciting race for the conference championship.”
There’s no question that the LSU soccer program has firmly established itself among the nation’s elite with its performance over the last two seasons, and the Tigers are ready for more as the 2009 season is sure to be even better.
When Lee was appointed LSU’s head coach in December 2004, he committed himself to “build a program that annually contends for the SEC and competes to win a national championship by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.” The foundation that has been built over the last four years has certainly given the Tigers that opportunity.
And it all begins Aug. 21 when the Tigers play host to Memphis, the defending Conference USA champion, at the LSU Soccer Complex with a match set to kick off at 7 p.m. CT.