The LSU soccer team didn’t suffer so much as a hiccup in a pair of weekend washout wins against Oklahoma and Louisiana-Lafayette.”We took another step in our progress,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “We created quality chances from the get-go, and a bunch of kids got in off the bench and made good contributions.”LSU (4-1-1) got the quick start it wanted Sunday against the winless Ragin’ Cajuns (0-6-1), as senior midfielder Malorie Rutledge found the back of the net twice in the first half for her second and third goals of the season in a 4-0 rout.”I don’t want to jinx anything, but it’s finally coming back to me after having knee surgery in the spring,” Rutledge said.Freshman forward Reyna Lubin scored her first goal of the young season after 62 minutes, and sophomore midfielder Taryne Boudreau secured the beating with an 83rd-minute score.”We’ve been struggling a lot in the first half of games, so the goal was to come out hard in the first half and keep it going for 90 minutes,” Rutledge said. “We struggled a little bit early, but we got it going in the second half.”The Tigers raced to another easy win Friday night in a 4-0 drubbing of the Sooners (4-1-2). Senior forward Rachel Yepez put LSU on the board after just six minutes with a strike from inside the 18-yard box.”It was a good game overall,” Lee said following Friday’s game. “We’ve still got room to improve, especially in the final third, if you’re being clinical about things. But it was a good night.”Senior midfielder Melissa Clarke continued her recent run of good play, scoring on a converted penalty kick after 38 minutes before putting the game out of reach on a long run for a goal in the 65th minute.”It just keeps getting better and better. I couldn’t ask for much more,” Clarke said. “I’m way more mature as a soccer player. I’m learning from my mistakes and capitalizing on my chances a lot better.”Clarke helped secure the final margin with five minutes to play, as she slotted an open pass to freshman forward Natalie Ieyoub for her first career goal.”When I started to make my run and was dribbling, the defender committed, so [Ieyoub] was wide open,” Clarke said. “Our freshmen are just as reliable as the seniors on this team so I can always count on them, no matter who it is, to put it away.”With the wins, the Tigers now turn toward the Duke Nike Classic in Durham, N.C., next weekend. LSU will face No. 1 North Carolina on Friday before playing Duke on Saturday.The Tar Heels have breezed through the early part of the season with a 7-2 win against No. 5 UCLA, a 6-0 beating of No. 7 Notre Dame and a 2-0 win against No. 14 Texas A&M.”We’ve got to have a good week of practice,” Lee said. “North Carolina is a 19-time national champion with a roster of some of the most talented players in the nation. We’ve got to be completely committed and sharp. If you make mental mistakes, Chapel Hill will make you pay.”Lee said the tournament will serve as the team’s measuring stick entering Southeastern Conference play, which begins Sept. 25 against No. 25 Georgia.————Contact David Helman at [email protected]