Coming into the 2014 season, the back line was the unknown — a question mark on which the fate of the LSU soccer team depended.
Ten games into the season, the defense has evolved into a cohesive unit fueled by the physical play of freshmen and the leadership of sophomore defender Megan Lee.
Before the season began, LSU coach Brian Lee stressed how the development of freshmen along the back line would play a key role in the success of the season.
“Defending is so much about communication and organization that can only come through some time together,” Brian said. “So we’re certainly going to have some bumps in the road in the early season where maybe there is a mistake. We are just looking for the kids to cover up for each other as they get to know each other.”
Freshmen Jordane Carvery and Alexis Urch, along with defensive midfielder Christyna Pitre, have brought a physical presence to the line, which was tested early in the season with a difficult nonconference schedule.
Although Brian said these players specifically were recruited for their physicality and strength in the air, the quick adjustment of Carvery and Urch to the college game impressed him.
“I’ve been a little surprised, to be honest, about how well some of the new kids have done, how quickly they have adapted,” Brian said. “Probably as much as anything, some of them really hit the ground running. Carvery just stepped right in and played like a seasoned veteran from day one.”
One factor that may have contributed to the Tigers’ quick development is the difficulty of their nonconference schedule, which included three teams that reached the NCAA Women’s College Cup in 2013.
Although the Tigers have allowed the most goals in the Southeastern Conference with 14, nine of those came against BYU, Duke, Missouri and Texas Christian University — all of whom rank in the top 75 of the NCAA’s RPI.
The tough competition of these nonconference opponents helped the young defensive line and the rest of the freshman class adjust to the college level before SEC competition.
“It is much better playing against better teams early in the season to prepare you for SEC, which is even more important,” said junior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco. “I would prefer playing those good games and learning from them and becoming stronger than easing through it and getting knocked out in the SEC.”
Vocal leadership from 2013 All-SEC second team Megan Lee has helped to establish communication along the line, which is usually led by veteran center backs. This season, however, Carvery and Urch have a combined 17 starts in the center, making communication along the line more difficult.
“In previous years, we’ve had our leaders in the back,” Megan said. “They were really big talkers. This year, having Urch and Jordane back there, sometimes it is a little bit nervous. But we can trust them because we know they’re good players. We just need to work on our cohesion and work better together as a back line.”
While Brian said he is pleased with the line’s performance during normal game play, he added the Tigers have struggled defending set pieces.
LSU has made the defense of set pieces a focus, especially because some of the SEC’s top teams rely on set pieces to consistently generate goal-scoring opportunities.
“We are moving people around a little bit and talking about mentality on it,” Brian said. “That’s one of the adjustments to the college game. There is probably a bigger emphasis on set pieces than in their youth soccer culture.”
The most important part of the development of the defense, Brian said, is the ability of Urch and Carvery to learn from their mistakes and continue to improve with every game.
“They are going to keep making mistakes,” Brian said. “But if they keep fixing them at this rate and continuing to get better, I think we are going to be in great shape.”