Youth ruled the roost for the LSU soccer team on the pitch this fall, but coach Brian Lee doesn’t consider it as an excuse.
The Tigers (9-8-4, 5-6-2 Southeastern Conference) fell short of an NCAA Tournament bid for the second time in three years, as five freshmen played major minutes en route to a losing record in SEC play.
“We have expectations we feel like every team can accomplish at this point in our program,” Lee said. “To fall short of the NCAAs is disappointing, no exceptions.”
LSU entered the season as the reigning SEC West champions for the fourth time in five years, but lost five senior starters from that 2011 squad.
The Tigers rallied from a 2-6-2 start in the league to win their final three matches in thrilling comeback fashion.
That was enough to put LSU squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble entering its first-round SEC Tournament match against Ole Miss.
The Rebels scored a goal with 43 seconds left in the match, sending the Tigers to an unusually early offseason in heartbreaking fashion.
“In reflection, that game was probably for an NCAA bid,” Lee said. “That was actually one of the better matches we played, but fate doesn’t always smile on you, especially in soccer. We were peaking at the end of the season.”
That peak was led by LSU’s fresh faces.
Freshmen midfielders Fernanda Piña and Jade Kovacevic topped the Tigers’ scoresheet with 12 points each.
Overall, five of LSU’s top six scorers were freshmen.
While Lee praised the freshman class’ work ethic, he singled out Kovacevic, who joined the team three weeks into the season after playing for Canada in the Under-20 World Cup, for her versatility.
“She played a bunch of different positions — whether it was in the midfield or near the net — and her ability to be a jack of all trades separated her,” Lee said.
Junior goalkeeper Megan Kinneman didn’t quite recapture the form from her 2010 All-SEC Freshmen campaign, but she still saved 117 shots while allowing only 27 goals in 21 matches.
The Tigers began the season 4-1-2 in nonconference play, but struggled to defend home turf in SEC play, winning just two of their seven league matches in Baton Rouge.
With a heralded recruiting class coming into next year and a strong finish to an underwhelming season, Lee doesn’t expect a repeat of this fall any time soon.
“We’re going to stay young, but it’ll be youth with great experience,” Lee said. “There’s a lot of work to do this offseason. There are no lowered expectations going forward.”
Freshman midfielder Tori Sample, 28, dribbles passed University of Florida senior defender Jo Dragotta, 14, Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 at the LSU Soccer Stadium. The Gators defeated the Tigers 2-0.
