Freshman forward Carlie Banks was the only LSU soccer player running extra laps Tuesday after practice.It’s just the way she operates.”We had a college-ready player when we got her,” said LSU coach Brian Lee.The Georgia native’s coming out party occurred against her home team when she recorded a hat trick for her first three goals of the season en route to a 6-0 shutout. The Bulldogs were No. 8 and undefeated at the time.”That game against Georgia was her dream,” said her father, Tim Banks.Carlie Banks played against many of the Bulldogs before arriving at LSU. She is from Peachtree City, Ga., about 25 minutes from Atlanta, where many of the Bulldog players are from.”I played against a couple of the girls in club, because I’ve always played a year up,” Banks said. “A lot of the sophomores and a couple of the juniors out there I’ve been playing against almost my whole life.”Banks played club soccer for coach Brian Moore’s Concorde Fire South. Moore had previously coached LSU senior midfielders Malorie Rutledge and Melissa Clarke with his club team in Georgia.Four of LSU’s 11 starters hail from Georgia, including sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom. Despite being the youngest of the Georgia products, Banks’ work   ethic could make fans forget she’s only a freshman.”She never was the biggest kid, and I think because of that she knew she had to work twice as hard,” Moore said. “She was a joy to coach.”Moore has a strong relationship with the LSU coaching staff and said Lee gives his players the opportunity to grow. Moore’s suggestions have worked out swimmingly for the LSU soccer team.”They have fortunately taken some of the information I’ve given them about players to heart and trusted me,” Moore said.Lee said before the preseason Banks was one of the few freshmen he thought had a chance to contribute as soon as she arrived in Baton Rouge.”We thought Carlie would make an immediate impact,” Lee said. “The only question was how much.”Banks is now a consistent starter and a vital component to the Tiger attack. Lee said she fits very well in LSU’s system.”When our team plays well, Carlie plays well,” Lee said.Banks said LSU wasn’t initially on her top-10 list of schools, but after receiving multiple letters in the mail she decided to take a look.”I thought I might as well go on a visit,” she said. “I went and I fell in love with it. It was my last visit, too.”Banks’ father said he’s not surprised at his daughter’s early success because of her intense competitive drive and love of the game.”For her, soccer is her life,” he said. “Ever since she started kicking a soccer ball, she’s always put her whole heart and soul into it. You’ll never see her not play hard.”Soccer wasn’t the only sport Banks played prior to college.”Growing up, she played softball,” he said. “She actually played baseball with the boys. In high school, she ran track, she played basketball and she played soccer.”Banks’ family has made the voyage to weekend home games on multiple occasions despite living about seven hours away from Baton Rouge.”We have been to every game except three,” her father said. “We’ll be there this weekend, and we’ll be back next weekend.”Banks said the crucial thing she’s learned from the seniors is she needs to work for everything she gets. So far, she’s taking that point to heart.Banks’ four total goals are fourth-best on the team. The top two goal scorers are Georgia natives Rutledge and Clarke, respectively. –Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]