BATON ROUGE – With a preseason exhibition match against the Texas Longhorns just eight days away, LSU head coach Brian Lee put the Tigers through its first two-a-day practice of fall camp Friday with two training sessions at 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers are preparing for a preseason exhibition match against Texas on Aug. 14 and the 2010 regular season opener against the South Alabama Jaguars on Sunday, Aug. 22, at 1 p.m.
LSU has 17 more training sessions scheduled in the next two weeks and four more two-a-day practices as the squad prepares to welcome South Alabama to Baton Rouge for its season opener.
The Tigers kicked off its morning practice with a fitness test at the Carl Maddox Field House that featured a one-mile time trial before moving to the LSU Soccer Complex for a 90-minute technical-based training session. In the afternoon, the Tigers focused on positional work for 30 minutes before splitting up for a 50 minute 11-on-11 scrimmage with a pair of 25-minute halves.
“This day is always an important day for our team as we come together for the first time and assess where we are physically and mentally as we open fall camp,” Lee said. “I am very pleased with the fitness of the team and the effort and intensity shown today in training. That will be a key for us as we progress through camp and develop the identity of this year’s team. It is what we expect from our student-athletes.
“You could tell from our fitness test in the morning that our veterans performed very well in the offseason strength and conditioning program. But I was also very impressed with the fitness of our freshman class. I don’t think we’ve ever had a freshman class show up for camp at this level of fitness.”
LSU Soccer Season Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for $35 for adults and $15 for youths at www.LSUtix.net. Reserve season tickets in the midfield bleacher backs can also be purchased for $50.