The LSU soccer team is right where people expected them to be after two weekends of Southeastern Conference play.The Tigers (8-2-2, 4-0) are off to a nearly flawless start against conference foes, crushing their first four SEC opponents by a combined score of 16-1 after battling through a tough non-conference schedule.One week after dismantling Georgia and Tennessee, of 6-0 and 5-1, respectively, the Tigers took their first conference road trip and blanked Alabama and Auburn, 3-0 and 2-0.The 4-0 start in SEC play is a program best for LSU.”It hasn’t been easy, but we expect to be competitive to win the SEC,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “The Tennessee and UGA weekend was a little bit of an anomaly – that was a lot of goals for any game.”The hot streak has launched LSU into the top 10 of several national polls after a season-opening loss to Memphis ruined the program’s first and only preseason ranking.”We knew we were good enough, and we had the talent. We just had to settle down and put it all together,” said senior forward Rachel Yepez. “We usually have one game during the season that we lose when we shouldn’t, and I feel like we got that out of the way early this season.”The Tigers take their winning streak to Kentucky (3-6-3, 0-4-0) on Friday. The Wildcats haven’t enjoyed the same fortune as LSU since SEC play began, having fallen just short against several of the conference’s strongest teams  – No. 7 South Carolina, No. 16 Georgia and No. 17 Florida.”They’re extremely well-coached and organized in the defense,” Lee said. “They lost, 1-0, something like three times – they certainly had their chances to beat Tennessee, Florida and Georgia.”The Tigers have moved from SEC bottom dweller to conference contender under Lee’s watch, and the fifth-year coach has commissioned practice jerseys which reflect the change from hunter to hunted – rather than numbers, the team sometimes wear targets on its back while training.”It’s basically a reminder that once you achieve some things you’ve got to remember you’re going to get everyone’s best shot,” Lee said.The message seems to have sunk in. The Tigers have allowed just one goal in 405 minutes of play since entering halftime down 2-0 to Duke – a game they came back to draw, 2-2.”We kind of had a half-strength club for awhile there,” Lee said. “That speaks to the depth and quality of the club – we’ve had a lot of young players step up.”The return of senior midfielder Melissa Clarke has also been a boost to an offense which had difficulty finding the back of the net in non-conference play. Clarke missed time with a tweaked hamstring but returned for SEC play, netting two goals and an assist last weekend to be named SEC Player of the Week.”It was a relief finally going and getting past my injury, because for a while it really had me down,” Clarke said. “I always thought we’d be really great this year. The stars seem to have aligned, and everyone is living up to their expectations. The team chemistry is really good.”The Tigers conclude their second consecutive road weekend against Vanderbilt (7-4-1, 1-3). The Commodores started the season 5-0 but have been outscored by a combined total of 10-3 by SEC competition.- – – -Contact David Helman at [email protected]