Senior midfielder Alex Arlitt had a brief message for her teammates when they circled together minutes before the Tigers’ season-opening match against Troy on Friday.
As the only senior on a talented, yet, inexperienced LSU soccer team, Arlitt helped calm the nerves of her younger teammates by simply focusing on the importance of effort rather than performance and outcome.
“I told them that there are going to be mistakes, and no one’s going to get mad at you for that,” Arlitt said. “But what people will get mad at is if everyone isn’t completely laying everything they have on the line. We need to leave it all out on the field.”
But Arlitt’s words of advice were more than just parts of a senior’s typical pregame speech: they were the summation of her collegiate career.
The Houston native has been one of the Tigers’ most reliable players during her time at LSU; but her abilities on the field combined with her selfless attitude is what gives coach Brian Lee confidence she will provide the much-needed senior leadership for the young squad in the 2014 season.
“The respect level of the team for her is really high,” Lee said. “If she says something to a particular player or the team as a whole, they put a lot of stock in it. Her leadership within the team has evolved every year.”
Since joining the LSU soccer program in 2011, Arlitt has been a mainstay in the Tigers’ lineup, having started in all 64 games of her collegiate career.
But Arlitt’s dependability in the Tigers’ lineup is perhaps only matched by her versatility on the field.
Whether she’s been asked to facilitate in the offense or bolster the defensive back line, Arlitt has filled in wherever the team has needed her most. The All-Southeastern Conference performer has split time as an attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, right back and center back during her three-year career.
However, playing multiple positions is something Arlitt did before her career at LSU. But her desire to contribute to the team overcame any doubt, and she’s flourished in the role since.
“In my first game at LSU, [coach] Brian said I was going to play center back even though I had never touched the back line before,” Arlitt said. “I did the best I could, and he was really supportive of me. From there, I kept moving around, and that’s kind of how my past three years have been. I’ve been all over the place.”
According to Lee, the scrappy and fearless Arlitt has earned the trust of her teammates because of her ability to affect the game on both defense and in the attack.
“She has the utmost respect of her team because she’s a two-way player,” Lee said. “She works very hard defensively. Then in the attack, she’s the kid who makes the first pass that leads to a goal three passes later, but her name doesn’t appear in the box score.
“We think she’s the most underrated player in the SEC.”
Arlitt’s impact on the game was evident during the Tigers’ 2-0 season-opening victory over Troy on Friday.
Her presence on the back line helped the Tiger defense stifle the visiting Trojans, limiting Troy to 11 shots with only three on goal, and junior midfielder Natalia Gomez-Junco took notice.
“She’s the type of player that basically has no mistakes during the game,” Gomez-Junco said.
With a victory to kick off the 2014 campaign, Arlitt hopes to help her talented team, which features two top-15 recruiting classes, maintain its focus for the entire season rather than just the beginning.
In 2013, LSU had a 9-3-2 record before an uninspiring six-game losing streak concluded their season.
With so much talent now filling the Tigers’ lineup, Arlitt is determined to avoid last season’s fate.
“Last year was definitely a learning opportunity because I could have stepped up then, but I didn’t,” Arlitt said. “I’ve learned from that, and I’m not going to let it happen again this year.”
You can reach David Grey on Twitter @dgrey_TDR.