Junior Alex Thomas has started all but one game during her time at LSU, but she’s done so at a couple different positions.
Thomas is the most versatile player on the pitch at any given time. Wherever she is on the field, she always finds a way to contribute in whatever way the team needs her.
After signing to LSU as a forward, Thomas has split time between forward and right back since she stepped onto LSU’s campus.
She started all 23 matches of her freshman season at right back, when the Tigers defense only allowed 1.21 goals per game and had six clean sheets. She helped lead the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
During her sophomore season, she began splitting more time at both forward and right back. The Tigers defense totaled seven shutouts this season, while Thomas bagged three assists.
This season, however, she has reclaimed her high school position at forward almost permanently, leading the team with eight goals scored.
“We just look for ways for her to be effective,” LSU coach Brian Lee said. “We feel really good about this attacking group. They all know their roles and responsibilities in specific positions, so if we want to move someone for a particular matchup over the course of the game, we can do that. “
Thomas is able to easily switch positions, depending on where Lee needs her.
After bagging a goal and an assist against Lamar earlier this season, Thomas did not blink an eye when she was placed back into a defending position mid-game because of injuries and inexperience of the backline.
Despite her obvious talent on the backline, Thomas stacked up some serious accolades as a forward before her collegiate career.
From high school to club to college, she was always a vital part of any lineup.
The former three-star recruit was one of the top players in Louisiana from the Class of 2015, winning the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year and The New Orleans Advocate Player of the Year as both a junior and a senior.
As a four-time all-district and all-metro selection, Thomas led Benjamin Franklin High School to an undefeated 63-0-2 record in three state-championship seasons, scoring 57 goals and notching 15 assists in her senior year.
She was also a three-year veteran of the Region III Olympic Development Program Team, and a seven-year veteran of the Louisiana State ODP Team.
Thomas spent eight seasons with her club team, Louisiana Fire, and helped guide them to seven state titles, the 2011 One Nation Cup semifinal, and the 2013 National Youth Soccer Association Region III Championship.
After two seasons of playing primarily on the backline, Thomas has adjusted almost seamlessly back into a central striker position.
Though she played on the backline for so long, her offensive mindset never changed.
“I’ve been a forward before I got here, so that was my natural position,” Thomas said. “So it’s just about getting rid of some of the rust shooting wise. Other than that it’s not too bad. Even at defense, I was still attacking so it’s not like a huge change”
The rust has not stopped Thomas from being a force on the front line this season. Through 13 games, she has eight goals and two assists. She also leads the team in both shots and shots on goal, with a .654 SOG percentage.
“Alex is a very good player, whether she’s playing up front or in the back,” Lee said. “That’s the kind of team-first attitude we love to see in our kids.”

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Aurianna Cordero

LSU junior defender and forward Alex Thomas (9) waits for the ball during the Tigers' 0-1 loss against Vanderbilt on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, at the LSU Soccer Stadium.