LSU coach Brian Lee believes that the first game often sets the tone for the rest of the season.

“Tonight was a big step to start our season off this year,” Senior forward Zoe Higgins said. “We needed that win to make sure we got a good foot in the door and start off strong.”

After two preseason draws, LSU completely dominated in its season opener with a 5-0 win against Mississippi Valley State University.

“The first win is always massive,” freshman forward Lucy Parker said. “To put five [goals] past any team is big but to get it in our first game really sets the tone for the rest of the season. Hopefully we can continue this run.”

But even after such a strong performance, Lee believes that there is a lot of room for the team to develop and get better throughout the rest of the season.

“It’s exciting for the future,” Lee said. “The biggest thing for me was the leadership from the seniors who are helping the freshman contribute. That’s an underlying factor. With freshman, it’s more than just being talented, it’s the group helping them play their best and i really think our upperclassmen have done an awesome job of helping them settle where they can help us.”

Continuing to get comfortable with each other and developing chemistry is the biggest challenge going into the rest of the season. The integration of freshman into the LSU lineup had little effect on the smoothness and chemistry of play, but Lee believes that developing that chemistry even further will benefit the team.

Freshman Tinaya Alexander scored two of the Tigers’ five goals with and one assist, while freshman Dana Reed had one goals and two assists and freshman Lucy Parker had one goal.

“A lot of the young players stepped forward and looked like they could contribute,” Lee said. “The older kids have progressed so much into leaderships roles. I thought leadership on the team was great, starting with the goalkeeper and the back four keeping control of the game.”

After a 7-11-1 overall record last season, Friday’s win seems to be a step in the right direction

“Last year wasn’t a year we talk about with the team, but it wasn’t up to our standards,” Lee said. “Really more than the score, just to play that way. We thought we played good attractive soccer and everyone contributed and held their own weight.”

The Tigers travel to New York on Sunday to face Colgate for its first away game of the season.