Sophomore forward Summer Clarke had little trouble finding the goal during her freshman season, but finding her second wind was a slightly more strenuous task.
The all-SEC striker led the Tigers with 10 goals as a freshman, and her eight scores during conference competition were good for third in league play.
But the grind of 20 games packed into a 74-day span took a toll on the Canadian, and the heightened speed of the game was a drastic difference for Clarke.
“When you’re a freshman, you don’t really know what to expect coming into college soccer, and it was a lot faster than anything I’ve been used to,” Clarke said. “I was able to run to an extent last year, but I definitely got tired quicker. Knowing how fast it actually is helped me a lot this summer, and I’m more ready for what to expect this year.”
After playing in every physically demanding match as a freshman last season, Clarke’s summer primarily centered around one activity: running.
“I mainly just focused on getting my fitness up, because I knew that was one thing I needed to work on,” Clarke said. “Some days, I’d just see how many miles I could run. Other days, I’d run 200s and work on my sprinting, and other days I’d kick a soccer ball around and work on my technical stuff. I’d always vary how I trained during the week.”
She also had the guidance of her longest-tenured coach, her father.
Clarke played under her father, Clive Clarke, during her club days with the Richmond Red Hot Selects, where the father-daughter combo led the squad to a pair of provincial championships at the U-16 and U-18 levels and five consecutive metro titles.
Summer Clarke’s summer training under her father was just like old times.
“[My dad] knows my strengths and weaknesses and everything I need to work on better than anyone else,” Summer Clarke said. “It’s good to have someone who can point out exactly the stuff I need to do better and tweak.”
The extensive offseason training has paid off for her thus far.
In six matches, the freshman All-American has been one of the few bright spots for LSU’s struggling attack, scoring a team-high three goals and eight points.
But Summer Clarke isn’t just putting in work on the attack. Her athleticism combined with her improved stamina means the Canadian striker can affect the game in all areas of the pitch, and she’s seen more action as a midfielder and on the back line this season than before.
“She’s everywhere on the field,” said LSU soccer coach Brian Lee. “Her defensive work is fantastic. She can easily get to all four corners of the field, and I couldn’t be any more pleased. I really think the sky’s the limit for Summer.”
Sophomore midfielder Emma Fletcher, who’s known Summer Clarke since their prep days in Canada, said her teammate’s heightened level of motivation is beneficial for the team.
“When Summer wants to win and wants to do well, she’s simply amazing,” Fletcher said.
Lee also noted the huge change in his star striker’s mentality from her first year in Baton Rouge. When the team conducted its fitness tests prior to the season, her scores finished at the top of the Tigers’ charts, and Lee said the added emphasis on conditioning has transformed her into a new player.
Summer Clarke will need every bit of her grit and endurance during LSU’s upcoming four-game road swing, which begins tonight with a match in Provo, Utah, against BYU. But Lee said he doesn’t expect her to have a problem.
“Summer came here last year as an elite athlete, just not in elite fitness,” Lee said. “After a year with our strength and conditioning department, she’s a completely different player. She really went from near the bottom to one of the fittest girls on the team. She can run all day.”
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR.