A football quarterback’s job on any play is complete once the ball has left his possession.
In soccer, that moment is just the beginning, especially for LSU soccer coach Brian Lee’s club.
“One of our key phrases is ‘pass-and-move’,” Lee said. “We’re trying to be very quick in transition, but when we have the ball, we want to be a passing team that has good movement off the ball. Even if we don’t get dispossessed on the dribble, we just slow down the attack by standing on the ball.”
In a sport as unpredictable as soccer, Lee said a team’s chances for success are largely dependant on its ability to continuously move around the field to find openings for efficient scoring opportunities, which puts constant pressure on the opposition’s back line.
In other words, never stop moving.
“If I’m dribbling the ball and make a pass to someone, I shouldn’t just stand there and watch,” said sophomore striker Summer Clarke. “I try to be an option. When we’re always moving as a team, it also moves the other team and just opens up spaces for other people to get open or run through to score goals.”
However, the pass-and-move approach requires a strong group of midfielders who can both create scoring chances for others as well as take advantage of opportunities for themselves. Fortunately for Lee, his club features one of the top midfield units in the nation.
Sophomore Emma Fletcher was one of Canada’s starting midfielders during the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup over the summer, and juniors Natalia Gomez-Junco and Fernanda Piña represented the Mexican national team during the 2012 U-20 Women’s World Cup in
Japan.
“If you’re going to be a passing team, generally your midfielders are going to be showcased because one of their primary jobs is possession of the ball,” Lee said. “That’s why we recruit talented midfielders because we’re trying to play that way.”
Fletcher, who’s also represented New Zealand in international play, said she prefers Lee’s playing philosophy of getting everyone on the field involved.
“Some teams just try to be more direct and get the ball over the top,” Fletcher said. “If they have fast forwards and can get it over the top, they try to go direct to goal. It’s not something I like to play with because it goes right over the midfield. It’s just a lot easier to play around and through teams and tire other teams out when you’re playing quickly and releasing the ball fast.”
The pass-and-move approach worked well for the Tigers early this season. Through its first four games, LSU scored 11 goals, the most in that time span since 2007, when the club scored 16.
But, the Tigers’ early-season success in the attack wasn’t only the work of All-Southeastern Conference players like Clarke and Fletcher, who are the leading goal scorer and passer respectively, from last season’s squad, the pass-and-move mentality is a communal effort.
Five players have recorded at least four points for LSU this season. The pass-and-move philosophy has also helped the team’s many newcomers — like Memphis-transfer Gomez-Junco and freshman striker Jorian Baucom — make immediate and noticeable impacts.
However, the pass-and-move formula hasn’t always resulted in goals for the Tigers. Prior to Thursday’s 4-3 road victory against BYU, LSU was blanked in three of its last four games.
But Lee said the opportunities to score have been present. The Tigers tallied a season-high 26 shots on Tuesday against Stephen F. Austin, and the squad bounced back with four goals against the Cougars on Thursday.
Lee said the shots will keep finding the net if the squad continues the pass-and-move approach.
“In terms of what we’re playing like, we’re pretty happy with it,” Lee said. “We just have to take care of a few things in the final third and in front of goal and good things
will happen.”
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR.