BATON ROUGE — LSU head soccer coach Brian Lee met with members of the media Wednesday afternoon to preview the upcoming season and talk about what he expects the Tigers to accomplish as part of the 2009 LSU Soccer and Volleyball Media Day held at the Athletic Administration Building.
Senior All-SEC standouts Malorie Rutledge and Melissa Clarke joined sophomore Freshman All-America performer Mo Isom in the festivities as the Tigers prepare to face the 15th-ranked Texas Longhorns in a preseason exhibition match to be held at the LSU Soccer Complex on Friday at 7 p.m.
LSU will kick off the 2009 regular season at home on Aug. 21 as they welcome the defending Conference USA champion Memphis Tigers to Baton Rouge for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Comments from head coach Brian Lee at LSU Soccer Media Day
Opening statement …
“This season, the 2009 year, is a year that our coaches have been looking forward to since the day we were hired at LSU. It’s the senior season of our first big recruiting class. It’s a class that came in with high expectations and has done a nice job of improving year after year to gradually meet those. We are excited to see where this year can lead beginning Friday night.
“One of the big themes for this year is an “8-4-2-?.” As freshmen, or really as high school seniors, we had a group of kids decide to join us here with nothing more than a dream. In terms of, ?Hey, come to LSU and help us do what every other sport here does.’ Last year, LSU was 20-of-20 in terms of making the NCAA post season. When they got here, the team was coming off back-to-back 12th place finishes in the SEC. So the kids had to buy in with us. Then they had to get here and work as hard as the other athletes here on campus. As a group they got here and finished eighth their freshman year, pushed it to fourth their sophomore year, pushed it to second as juniors and now we are going to see this fall if we can take it to that next step. We are going to see, much like volleyball, if we can catch Florida. They have been the standard setter the past three of four years.
“To make that happen we are going to schedule them with the best schedule that we have played in our five years. We should have anywhere from six to 10 NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule by the end of the year starting with Texas, who is a perennial top 10 or top 20 team. Memphis is back-to-back Conference USA champions and they will be in the tournament again and will be anywhere from 25 to 40 when the final RPI rankings come out. Central Florida and South Florida are both potential NCAA Tournament teams and high RPI teams. We have got Oklahoma coming to town, and then Duke in Chapel Hill on the road. So, we are going to challenge them with the best teams in the country, all in preparation for the SEC.
“In the time we have been here the SEC has also continued to improve as a soccer conference. Last year, we had six teams in the NCAA and we would expect a similar amount this fall. To make that happen we are going to count on our team from top to bottom.”
On if there’s any pressure on the team’s eight seniors to win an SEC championship…
“Well, it’s kind of two-sided. Short-term, yes. And that’s for Malorie Rutledge, Melissa Clarke, Chelsea Potts, Amanda Carreno and all those kids. I want them to do it. I want them to be here when that physically happens. The second part of the ascension of this program is those kids have also helped us recruit really well for the future and we have in 2010 and 2011 some of the top recruiting classes in the country committed to come in and join us. So, the seniors have already done half the job of catching Florida. They’ve already helped us long-term, but I really want to do it for them.
On the transition from last year to this season…
“It’s been pretty smooth. Now, keep in mind, Courtney Alexander, Taryne Boudreau, and Allysha Chapman aren’t new players. Those are three players our team is familiar with, and those are three of our best players. So the talent level has also gone up, which helps the transition. The kids who have come in, the young freshmen, have been a pleasant surprise. It’s been very smooth.”
On which freshmen might have the biggest impact…
“Well, one of our big themes is that, hopefully, they all have an impact. If we’re going to win and succeed to our utmost ability, there’s no difference between Malorie (Rutledge), and whoever’s 25th on the depth chart. So, we’re hoping they all contribute when you talk big picture. In terms of Friday night, when we kick off against Texas, who might jog out in the starting lineup? Reyna Lubin, Carlie Banks, Catherine Luparello have done well and they’re fortunate positionally. The opportunity (to start) may there. The real evaluation will come from the first couple games.”
On what the team needs to improve to win the SEC championship…
“For us, I really think it’s mental strength. We were in the ballpark last year. We were beating Florida 1-0 in the second half, playing really well. Florida got a goal and kind of turned the tide of the match and beat us 2-1. So, we’ve been in position. It was the same thing in the NCAA playoffs. We were winning 2-0 against Washington, who is another good team. We were rolling along, and then something bad happens. Melissa Clarke had to go out of the game with an injury and we didn’t deal with it well. We just need mental strength when that point comes, when push comes to shove, wherever that point is.”
On Friday’s pre-season exhibition match against Texas…
“Well, it’s a big deal for us. I think for our seniors it’s a really big deal. Our history with Texas is during these kids’ freshman year, Texas beat us 4-2. We returned the game and drew 2-2. Last year, we played a spring game and drew 1-1. So we’ve made a nice progression. I think they’re a great soccer program and a team that’s steadily in the top 10 or top 20 every year. For our seniors, it’s the beginning of ?Can we step through that last hoop?’ It’ll just be a starting point, but it’s a great big-name, quality opponent. Coming out of the game, we’ll know what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are and we’ll have an evaluation of our own team. But we’re excited about it. Anyone in the country who wants to play a home-and-home with us, we would love to.”
Comments from senior midfielder Malorie Rutledge
On how the fans have responded to the team …
“My freshman year there were people out, but I think over the last two years, the attendance completely changed. The atmosphere has completely changed. We have a lot more students coming out and making it hard for the other teams to adjust to our atmosphere.”
On how she feels to be on the Hermann Trophy Watch List …
“It is always nice to be recognized as a player, but the keyword there is watch list. I obviously could not have done this without the players around me. It isn’t just me.”
On what she needs to do to keep up her level of play this season …
“I mean, obviously assists means I’m not scoring. It’s the players around me. I’ve got Rachel Yepez who is quick up top and can finish a ball, and I have Amanda Carreno supporting me in the middle who is good one-on-one. So that is going to come from the players around me and us working as a team. It’s not just me on the assists. As long as we work well as a team, we will all have a lot of success this season.”
Comments from senior midfielder Melissa Clarke
On what her thoughts are entering the season …
“Well, of course winning the SEC is going to be our goal because we have never done it before. I think this year we definitely have the biggest opportunity to do so because of all of the seniors we have. On top of that, our goal is to have a great run in the NCAA Tournament.”
On how it feels to help build the program over her four years at LSU …
“I love it. It’s great. I love the fact that I have come to LSU and really made an impact and have seen the program grow. When I got here my freshman year we were finishing 12th in the SEC to now finishing second. It’s really amazing. I’s what I came here to do, and I am glad that I played a part in it. ”
On how new players Courtney Alexander and Allysha Chapman have fit in with the starters …
“They have gelled just perfectly. I can definitely say that they have added a big boost to what we can do, and I am really excited for the season.”
Comments from sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom
On the feedback she got from the U-23 U.S. National Team Camp this summer …
“The coaching staff was phenomenal there. They were very supportive and very informative. The only negative criticism that I got was just to work on faster feet, so I thought that was excellent feedback. I just got really good reviews from them. Mentally on the game they said I was very strong, my communication was good and my technique when it comes to diving was strong. They were supportive and informative. It is weird because you would think that in 10 days you wouldn’t learn that much, but the confidence boost you get from being there, I feel like a completely different goalkeeper. Just to see that level of play and to be out there with those girls, you just learn so much subconsciously about work ethic and training. It was really good.”
On what it is like being the young girl on a veteran team with high expectations …
“I am not intimidated by the pressure. I enjoy the pressure being on, and with the position I play I am relied on heavily by the team. Last spring and even last fall my confidence had to get up and as a leader I think I have improved confidence-wise and shyness-wise. I think I have come out of my shell and opened up. When we step on the field, class and age doesn’t matter. It is who is preparing the hardest and who is working the hardest. Certainly everyone on this team has been working hard. So I just get out there and am confident and know the role that I have to do and do the job that I have to get done.”
On if she has the same sense of urgency to win this year as the seniors do …
“It has been phenomenal, even the year-and-a-half that I have been here just seeing the progress that that senior class has made. I feel right now that I have that same sense of urgency that the seniors have because those girls have made so much progress and worked so hard I want to contribute in achieving that goal for them. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this team expects nothing less than an SEC West championship, this team expects nothing less than an SEC championship and this team expects nothing less than a deep NCAA run.”