After posting a losing record in the Southeastern Conference and missing out on an NCAA bid last season, the LSU soccer team will kick off its conference campaign Saturday night at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn.
The Tigers (4-3-1) grabbed five SEC victories in 2012, a step down from their eight conference wins and SEC West title in 2011. Vanderbilt (3-3-2) is also aiming to improve, as the Commodores found themselves at the bottom of the eastern division with only two SEC wins last season.
“If you can go get three points in the opening weekend, especially on the road, that’s a good kick start to the season,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “The SEC is – top to bottom – probably the strongest it’s ever been, and every game is going to be a dogfight.”
The most recent matchup between LSU and Vanderbilt was a dogfight indeed, as the Tigers eked out a double-overtime victory, 1-0, in Baton Rouge last season.
Then-freshman midfielder Haley Emerson netted the golden goal with less than three minutes to play, sending the Commodores on a six-game losing streak to end the
season.
The final two weekends of the non-conference schedule played out in a nearly identical fashion for the Tigers. LSU lost the Friday game on consecutive weekends before coming back to claim victories on each Sunday, and Lee said he’s been impressed with the Tigers’ ability to rebound after a loss.
“We’re really resilient, and the kids have good character,” Lee said. “So, when their backs were against the wall both weekends, they stepped up. Their quality of competition has been good, and we’ve also learned the lesson that if we’re not totally queued in and prepared to play, our chances of winning are really going to shrink.”
Lee said the difficulty of LSU’s non-conference schedule should have his team prepared to face tougher SEC foes. The Tigers’ non-SEC slate featured two ranked teams and several 2012 conference champions, and LSU’s
non-conference opponents are a combined 33-20-8.
But junior midfielder Jodi Calloway acknowledged playing in the SEC is a totally different monster.
“The SEC is very competitive, and it only gets harder every year,” Calloway said. “So we’re going to come out and play hard every game like it’s our last.”
Lee lauded the way the Tigers have executed his gameplan through the first month of the
season and said he is pleased with their ability to keep possession of the ball. The next stage in LSU’s development will be making those possessions pay off in the attacking third, Lee said
Sophomore midfielder Fernanda Piña, who leads the Tigers in scoring this year with three goals, has made the most of her opportunities near the goal. Piña and her teammates will need to continue capitalizing if LSU wants to come home with a victory on Saturday.
“It’s extremely important to start SEC play with a win,” Piña said. “It doesn’t matter which team it is, we have to win each game and be prepared for each team.”
“The SEC is, top to bottom, probably the strongest it’s ever been, and every game is going to be a dogfight.”