Despite a prominent freshman season, LSU defender Megan Lee is unlikely to be an All-Southeastern Conference selection.
Instead, she settled for being among the world’s best last week.
Lee’s recent stint with the New Zealand national team highlights a burgeoning trend for the Tigers, as a growing international roster means more players sometimes split loyalties between LSU and their home countries.
“It’s happening for teams all over the country,” said LSU coach Brian Lee of college players missing games for international action. “If you’re getting elite players, then dealing with the international calendar will be an issue.”
Without much high-level women’s professional soccer around the world, many foreign players have a simple choice: train with their national teams as a bench player or attend college in America.
While most choose to play college ball, Megan Lee said her home country’s pull doesn’t go away.
“I knew it was going to feel like that — it was the hardest part about choosing to come here,” Megan Lee said. “From a big picture, it was better to play games all the time, but I knew this was a possibility.”
Lee didn’t play in a 4-1 loss to the U.S. on Oct. 27 in San Francisco and then got her first international cap in New Zealand’s 1-1 draw Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio.
Tennessee junior Hannah Wilkinson, also a New Zealand native, scored the late goal that tied the Americans. Like Lee, Wilkinson missed important SEC action down the stretch, but LSU may have felt the absence more.
The Tigers lost both games Megan Lee missed, part of a five-game losing streak to end the season as they plummeted from first place at the mid-season mark to a No. 7 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament.
“I was excited for the opportunity, but at the same time a little sad,” Megan Lee said. “You want to be there with your teammates who you’ve spent months working hard with, but I also had to think of the big picture. International soccer is as good as it gets.”
She said that Coach Lee was never anything less than supportive of the situation, despite losing an elite performer,  even flying to Columbus for Wednesday’s draw and then meeting the team in College Station, Texas, for the next night’s 3-2 loss to Texas A&M.
“I asked him about this possibility during recruiting, whether or not he’d support this situation,” Megan Lee said. “He said the national team is the highest honor. He realizes that’s a player’s priority. He kind of put my sporting future ahead of what the team needed.”
It’s not the first time the coach has dealt with such a situation at LSU. Former Tiger midfielder Caroline Vanderpool missed the first game of the 2006 season to play on the Canadian U-20 team.
Ex-LSU forward Taryne Boudreau redshirted in 2008 to play Canada in the 2008 U-20 Women’s World Cup, and former forward Jade Kovacevic missed LSU’s first three games last season for the 2012 cup with the Canadian squad.
“I felt like it took me a few games to get back in college life and the practice schedule,” Kovacevic said last September. “The game doesn’t change too, too much, but everything else is a quick adjustment.”
For Brian Lee, supporting these players isn’t just being a supportive coach — it’s a recruiting tool. Players return home and give good feedback about LSU, helping the Tigers mine foreign waters for future talent.
His support for Megan Lee also shows he is good on his word about national team departures not being an issue, even if it means losing an integral part of the team during a stretch run.
“There are times where coaches say things to recruit players that don’t come true when they get in the program,” he said. “This isn’t one of those scenarios. We’re very proud of them and recognize the honor that is playing for your country. It’d be foolish to be upset with them for being good enough to earn that.”

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Angela Major

LSU freshman defender Megan Lee (13) regains control of the ball Friday, Oct. 18, 2013 during LSU's loss to Ole Miss at the LSU Soccer Stadium.