Fernanda Piña no longer lives in a country where dribbling is automatically associated with soccer. She now lives in a country where a different type of football is the most popular sport. For the freshman forward/midfielder, a change in location came with a change in culture, climate and cuisine. But the hardest thing for the 18-year-old was adjusting to the plentiful imitations of her hometown fare. “I hate the fake Mexican food,” Piña said. “We don’t have burritos, and we don’t have chimichangas in Mexico.” Piña is a former member of Mexico’s Women’s National U-17 and U-20 teams and participated in FIFA’s U-17 Women’s World Cup.  The competition on a national level gave Piña an edge. “She has a soccer savvy that most of the Americans don’t have,” said LSU Coach Brian Lee. “She does little tricky things on the field that the American kid doesn’t do.” Piña is majoring in kinesiology but plans to go to dental school after graduating. When deciding which school was the best to attend, Piña factored in which had the best facilities, teammates and weather. Ultimately, it was something that couldn’t be measured that led Piña to Baton Rouge. “I love the pride LSU has,” Piña said. “It’s awesome.”  Piña said there are a few differences between American and international play. For example, she said the players in America are taller. “We have a different style,” Piña said. “[There is] more dribbling in international, but it’s like the same.” Piña looks to senior forward/midfielder Carlie Banks if she doesn’t understand or wants to improve something on the field. Banks finished 2011 as LSU’s fourth-leading scorer, and she finished last season with two goals, seven assists and 11 points. “We have a good group of leaders; I think Carlie Banks is one,” Lee said. “Most of our upperclassmen are great leaders.” Joining Piña as an international freshman later this season is Jade Kovacevic from Canada, who is currently competing with Canada’s U-20 Women’s National Team. “For all the international players, soccer is a more culturally, omnipresent, everyday thing,” Lee said. Piña assisted sophomore midfielder Alex Arlitt with the game-winning goal to seal the victory in LSU’s season opener against Oklahoma on Monday. The Tigers will kick off their home schedule this weekend when they welcome Rice and North Carolina State to LSU Soccer Stadium. The Tigers compete Friday against Rice at 7 p.m. at the first of 10 consecutive games in Baton Rouge, where they compiled a 7-1-1 record in 2011. “We’re excited to get a full year in the upgraded stadium, and there’s a real chance to build momentum early with so many home matches,” Lee said. Rice comes to Baton Rouge on the heels of a 0-1 loss to Baylor. “Rice is a sound team that we respect a lot,” Lee said. “They definitely earned that last year when they beat us [1-0 in double overtime].” NC State has a 0-2-1 record so far this season and will play at Texas tonight before coming to Baton Rouge on Sunday. This weekend’s contests mark the start of a monthlong home stand after beginning the season with a double overtime win in Oklahoma on Monday night. “We feel that we have a fantastic home field advantage,” Lee said. “[Our fans] make a legitimate difference in the score line.”
____ Contact Bria Turner at [email protected]