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.
Third in a five-part series previewing the upcoming season breaks down what LSU fans can expect from the Tigers’ midfield this fall.
BATON ROUGE — Perhaps the deepest and most talented position on the field for the LSU soccer team will be in the midfield as consensus All-American Malorie Rutledge returns for her senior season to lead what might be the most dominant midfield unit in the Southeastern Conference this fall.
While earning her second career First-Team All-SEC selection following the 2008 season, Rutledge was honored as LSU’s first SEC Offensive Player of the Year in program history a year ago.
Add that to the fact that Rutledge was named to All-America teams by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Soccer Buzz and TopDrawerSoccer.com, and it is easy to see why she enters this fall as a legitimate candidate to win the Hermann Trophy.
The Hermann Trophy is college soccer’s equivalent to football’s Heisman Trophy and is awarded to the top player in the country each season prior to the start of the College Cup.
“Malorie Rutledge really emerged as one of the elite players in the country with her performance in 2008, and we are very fortunate to have her returing as a leader in the midfield this fall,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “There is no doubt that our midfield will be the strength of our team this season and will be an important factor if we hope to take the next step and compete for our first SEC championship.”
Rutledge enjoyed a record-setting season for the Tigers a year ago as she finished as SEC leader in assists (18) and points scored (36), while she either scored or assisted the game-winning goal in each of LSU’s seven league wins. By recording 18 assists in 20 games, Rutledge ranked No. 1 in the NCAA with an average of 0.90 assists per game. Her 18 assists is also a new LSU single-season school record, shattering her own mark of 12 set back in 2007, and ranks No. 2 on the SEC’s all-time list for a single season.
Rutledge is well on her way to regaining that All-America form after being forced to miss the entire 2009 spring season following off-season knee surgery.
The Tigers will also be led by the likes of fellow All-SEC standout Melissa Clarke, who earned a second-team selection for the second time in her career last fall. Clarke is without a doubt one of the most electrifying attackers in all of women’s college soccer with her ability to carve through opposing defenses with precision using her tremendous ball-handling skills.
LSU features two more All-SEC caliber athletes in the starting lineup in junior Courtney Alexander and sophomore international Taryne Boudreau.
Alexander is eligible to compete for the Tigers this fall after sitting out all of last season following her transfer from Southeast Missouri State, where she was honored as the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and a First-Team All-OVC selection following the 2007 season.
Boudreau also rejoins the team this fall after receiving a redshirt in 2008 while competing as a member of the Under-20 Canadian National Team at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile.
“While Malorie is more than deserving of the attention she has received over the past year or so, Melissa Clarke might be the most skilled athlete on our team with what she is able to do with the ball at her feet,” Lee said. “She is outstanding 1 v 1 and has the ability and creativity to break down defenses for the rest of our attack. We also have tremendous experience with Courtney Alexander and Taryne Boudreau rejoining the team this fall. We’re certainly excited about the potential of this group.”
Also looking to crack the playing rotation in the midfield this fall will be senior standouts Amanda Carreno and Brittany Lowe; sophomores Nazily Alcoser, Kellie Murphy and Hannah Jobe; and freshmen Kelly Gautreaux and Natalie Ieyoub.
The Tigers will welcome the Texas Longhorns to the LSU Soccer Complex on Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. CT for a preseason exhibition match before kicking off the regular season at home on Aug. 21 with a match against the Memphis Tigers, who enter the season as the defending Conference USA champions.
LSU Soccer Season Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased for $35 for adults and $15 for youths at the official website for LSU athletics, www.LSUsports.net.