It is not just the football team that has hopes of building upon a successful 2007 season. After winning the Southeastern Conference Western Division and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament this past season, the LSU soccer team highlighted its frantic spring training with a star-studded recruiting class and a brutal six-game schedule. “It’s really important to progress and challenge ourselves,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “It increases excitement and expectations.” The Tigers are battling with the premier sports’ programs after three seasons under Lee. The spring season ended Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Texas, and earlier results include a 1-0 loss to Texas A&M and 0-0 draws with heavyweights Duke and North Carolina. “We’re talking about four of the top 10 programs in the nation,” Lee said. “And we went to Chapel Hill and stood up 50-50 with the 18-time national champions.” The team also defeated Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State to finish with a 2-1-3 record in the spring. “It’s exciting to see how far it’s come,” said senior forward Roslyn Jones. “We’re getting better players and playing better teams. When I was a freshman, no one knew where the field was.” Jones scored the Tigers’ game-winning goal against Samford in the opening round of the NCAA tournament this past season. She will serve as a team captain this fall as the program attempts to repeat this past year’s achievements. This past fall the Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the SEC tournament. They also qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. “Anyone can score, just as long as we get there and go further,” Jones said. “We know what we can do, and we want to win an SEC championship.” The progress of 2007 has paid dividends in the form of a strong recruiting class. This spring Lee secured commitments from four high school standouts plus the addition of a proven all-star. Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Courtney Alexander of Southeast Missouri State officially transferred April 4 to LSU. Alexander earned All-OVC honors in 2007 after scoring 18 goals and adding nine assists in just two seasons of work. “It’s a different situation bringing Courtney [Alexander] in,” Lee said. “She’s a proven college player, and she’s going to help the short-term and long-term future of this program.” The Tigers’ freshman class consists of 2007 Class 5A Most Valuable Player, forward Kellie Murphy, of Lafayette and midfielder Hannah Jobe from Baton Rouge. From outside state lines, the team also signed 2006 youth All-American goalkeeper Mo Isom of Marietta, Ga., and defender Brittany Potts of Aurora, Ill. Potts is the younger sister of LSU junior defender Chelsea Potts. The Tigers await the regular season, which kicks off Aug. 22 against South Alabama. Lee said his goal for the upcoming season is to win an SEC title, and his captain agreed. “There are lots of things to accomplish. It’s possible,” Jones said. “We all know great things can come.”
—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]