The No. 17 LSU soccer team sits alone atop the Southeastern Conference after another dominant weekend.The Tigers (8-2-2, 4-0-0) remained red-hot, shutting out both Alabama and Auburn. The LSU seniors took care of business against Auburn (5-4-3, 2-2-0) on Sunday in the 2-0 victory.LSU senior midfielder Malorie Rutledge took six shots, and one of them found the net.LSU senior midfielder Melissa Clarke put the finishing touch on the win with a second-half goal from the right side of the penalty area.Rutledge said she’s excited about the team’s start and has been waiting for her senior season since she came to Baton Rouge.”It’s something that we’ve worked for the last three years,” Rutledge said. “We have a veteran squad. We knew that this was going to be our year. Hopefully we can continue this streak.”LSU also blanked Alabama (5-4-1, 1-1-1) on Friday with a 3-0 win. The Tigers continued to display their attacking prowess and depth as three different players scored.Freshman forward Carlie Banks buried the first goal of the night, and LSU took a 1-0 lead into halftime. Clarke scored the next one after an Alabama defender deflected her shot into the back of the net. She leads the team with seven goals for the season.Sophomore midfielder Taryne Boudreau converted the final goal on a penalty kick after Rutledge picked up a foul in the box.No. 8 South Carolina was a perfect 11-0-0 going into Sunday. But a tie to Mississippi State made LSU the only 4-0 team in SEC play. LSU’s speedy 4-0 start is its best in team history.”The SEC’s kind of in our hands right now,” Rutledge said. “If we continue to play well, I believe we’ll come out on top. If we have a slip-up, any team can come and take it from us.”LSU and sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom have given up only one goal in four SEC games this season.”I really can’t take credit for that,” Isom said. “In the Auburn game I think I only made three or four saves. It feels great to be able to do my job when it’s time to, but our defense just caved everything up. The four girls in front of me hardly allowed the other team to shoot on goal.”LSU coach Brian Lee said the defense is a vital reason for the team’s early success.”We’re just being very organized and focused,” Lee said. “The back four is doing a good job of concentrating for the entire 90 minutes.”The LSU offense has aided Isom and is usually in the opposing team’s end, so Isom has rarely been under duress.”I really like the pressure being on me,” Isom said. “I’m never going to complain when the ball’s on the other side of the field, but I do like to make the big saves.”Lee is content with his team’s play but said there is more to be done.”It’s a good place to be right now,” Lee said. “There’s a long way to go and the only way to approach it is one game at a time, and we’ve got to get ready to go to Kentucky on Friday.”—-Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]