BATON ROUGE – While the 2010 edition of the LSU soccer team must replace four starts along its defensive back line, the Tigers are blessed with a wealth of talent and depth in goal that is sure to provide the foundation of the team’s defense for years to come.
Junior All-SEC candidate Mo Isom is fresh off a record-setting sophomore campaign a season ago as she set new school records for wins (15), shutouts (12) and goals against average (0.72) in a single season.
Not only that, but Isom became the school’s all-time career leader with 29 wins, 19 shutouts and a 0.77 goals against average in only two seasons with the program while starting 43 of 44 matches for her career.
A native of Marietta, Ga., Isom continued her development as one of the nation’s up-and-coming keepers during the offseason as she was invited to train with the Under-23 U.S. Women’s National Team for the second year in a row. Isom made the trip to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., in April with 24 of the nation’s U-23 stars for a week-long national team training camp.
“Being called up to train with the national team is such a great honor, and is a big leap forward personally as I want to improve each and every day,” Isom said. “Training with the players and coaches at LSU over the past two years helped prepare me for the opportunity to train with the national team. I want to take the experience I have gained and help this team be successful in the fall.”
With her performance in just two seasons at LSU, Isom will enter the year as a true All-SEC candidate as one of the premier goalkeepers in the Southeastern Conference.
“Mo will be a leader of our defense this fall,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We will have a number of freshmen at the back, and it’s going to be her job to communicate and help us stay organized when our opponent is in the attack. I’m very proud of the leadership role that Mo has accepted at this young age and that speaks to her maturity level as a student-athlete.
“Mo will not be without competition this fall as Megan Kinneman joins us as one of the top recruits in the country for the last recruiting season. She has also had a great fall camp and will give us more depth at the position than we have ever had before. Megan has a very bright future ahead of her.”
Kinneman was one of five TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 recruits in the country to sign with LSU in the Class of 2010 as the Tigers have welcomed another Top 10 recruiting class to campus this preseason.
A product of Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas, Kinneman was the No. 96-ranked recruit by the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 and ranked No. 9 nationally among goalkeeper recruits in 2010. She is a veteran of the U-15 U.S. Youth National Team and was a four-year member with the Region III Olympic Development Program Team during her prep career.