Sophomore Alex Thomas heads into this season aiming to improve upon the very impressive first act of her freshman year.
The Tigers’ outside back starred as a premier goal-scorer at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans, scoring 57 goals her senior season and receiving the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year award as both a junior and a senior. Thomas, however, had to transition from goal scorer to goal stopper, becoming a defender for LSU.
“I’d never defended in my life,” the New Orleans native said. “It was just changing my entire mindset from ‘goals, goals, goals’ to ‘defend first, and then I can attack.’ That was, and probably still is, my biggest obstacle.”
Usually there would be a steep learning curve with that kind of position change, but Thomas took the shift in stride, starting every game for the Tigers as a freshman. TopDrawerSoccer.com even ranked her 59th on its list of the nation’s Top 100 Freshmen.
A quick learner on the field, Thomas also excels in the classroom, earning a selection to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll her freshman year. Her first season was showered with accomplishments.
As accomplished as she might be on the pitch, Thomas was also an excellent softball player in high school. In fact, she thinks at least one person believes she should have stayed on the diamond.
“If you ask my mom, she would say I should have chosen softball,” Thomas said with a laugh, “but I wasn’t as passionate about it as I was about soccer, and success in softball didn’t bring me the same joy that success in soccer brought me.”
Thomas approaches the game with humility, attributing much of her success to those who support her, especially her mother.
“I know it sounds corny, but she’s my best friend,” the sophomore said. “I think, personally, it’s because of my mom especially that I’m here right now. She’s really pushed me to get where I am now.”
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She also credits her coaches, including LSU head coach Brian Lee and associate head coach Debbie Hensley, with her development as an athlete and as a person.
“They definitely are like our mentors and like our parents here,” Thomas said. “They know a lot about each of us and they’re always there for us.”
Thomas got off to a great start in her first year as a Tiger, but she is confident that this year’s squad can continue to improve. Her goals for this season demonstrate how much of a team player she is.
“Individually, I’m just trying to continue developing in my position, doing what I can to make the team as successful as we can make it,” Thomas said. “I think we have a lot of potential, and we’re working hard in practice. I just can’t wait to see it pay off.”
After one year on the pitch for LSU, Thomas already sees how much she has grown heading into her sophomore year.
“I feel more confident when I have the ball and I feel more creative,” Thomas said. “As a person, I’ve definitely matured a lot; I used to be really dependent and shy. My teammates have helped me a lot to come out and express myself.”
Despite that shyness, Thomas aims to continue to develop as a leader of this team.
“I’m really shy, and everyone knows that,” she said, “but I actually have really good leadership qualities.”
Look for the budding second-year player to be vocal on the pitch and pick up where she left off from last season.