At any level of soccer, goals are a tough commodity to acquire. The LSU soccer team knows this better than most, as coach Brian Lee said the Tigers are switching offensive philosophies to replace 2011 All-Southeastern Conference striker Taryne Boudreau, who graduated in May. “We want to rely more on a team attack than the brilliance of one player,” Lee said. Boudreau was nothing short of brilliant last season, scoring 12 goals and notching six assists - contributing in 53 percent of LSU’s 2011 scoring – during her first and only season in the attacking third. Lee said his preferred style is built around wide midfielder runs, more crosses, better set pieces and fewer goals from lengthy distances. It’s an approach resembling that of the 2009 squad, which averaged 2.3 goals per match. That team was Lee’s most successful team at LSU, posting a 15-4-5 record and bowing out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks. Senior forward Carlie Banks might enjoy a return to that season’s play. As a freshman on that year’s squad, Banks enjoyed her best season by far, netting seven goals and four assists. “We’ve definitely started being more aggressive in practice,” Banks said. “It’s similar to 2009, how we’re pushing the [midfielders] up the wings and angling crosses toward the
Soccer: ‘New-Look’ offense necessary, Lee says
August 21, 2012