Welcome to SEC futbol, Texas A&M.
The No. 10 Aggies (6-1) have been an integral part of LSU’s recent history, and now, they’ll be among the Tigers’ competition for conference titles, starting tonight when the two meet for their league opener in the LSU Soccer Stadium.
“They give us a very natural rival,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “When I first got here eight years ago, we honestly didn’t deserve to play them because we weren’t on their level. I modeled our program after them — used A&M as a template on how to win in this part of the country. We’re on a similar playing field with them.”
But A&M has been a nightmare opponent for LSU, even as the Tigers (4-1-2) have ascended to an elite status in southern soccer by winning four of the last five SEC West titles.
The Aggies knocked LSU out of the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons, winning a 2009 second-round match on penalty kicks in Baton Rouge and clobbering the Tigers, 4-0, in College Station in November.
Lee said there’s no revenge factor for his team, but sophomore defender Jodi Calloway said the 4-0 drubbing is still on her mind.
“Of course any time a team beats you, there’s a little extra fire the next time around,” she said. “All of us from last year, we still remember they ended our season.”
Calloway and the rest of the LSU backline will be at the heart of the action tonight, as the Aggies boast a potent offensive unit.
Sophomore strikers Annie Kunz and Kelley Monogue have scored four goals apiece for Texas A&M, with midfielder Shea Groom adding a team-high four assists.
That firepower will challenge LSU junior goalkeeper Megan Kinneman, who has only yielded five goals through seven matches.Kinneman was the starting keeper against A&M in November, her first start in more than two months, when she allowed three goals.
“We’re familiar with what Texas A&M brings,” Kinneman said. “It’s about keeping our defense together and not losing concentration for 90 minutes. We’re not expecting it to be easy.”
A dynamic LSU freshmen class, which has accounted for five of the team’s nine goals, will try to reverse the Tigers’ recent woes against the Aggies.
Rookie midfielders Heather Magee and Fernanda Piña have each accounted for five points, while freshman Colby Maffei scored her first career goal against Memphis.
Eight of the 11 Tigers who have recorded points this season are underclassmen, and that youth movement has spurred a four-game unbeaten streak.
But Texas A&M is the first ranked opponent LSU will face this season and, according to Lee, perhaps the best one.
“The road to a conference championship will go through them,” he said. “That starts tonight. It’s not the NCAA Tournament anymore, it’s the SEC now.”
