It was unclear which freshman would rise to the LSU soccer team’s forefront after the Tigers signed the No. 1-ranked recruits from Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana and four of the top 15 recruits from Texas this offseason.
Now former Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Addie Eggleston is leading the charge.
The Houston native scored two goals and notched three assists in her regular-season debut against South Alabama and was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s College Team of the Week.
Her brilliant play so early in the season surprised even Eggleston herself.
“I wasn’t really expecting that,” Eggleston said. “We came out really well and connected passes. I obviously wouldn’t have gotten that award without the rest of my team because they assisted my goals and finished the balls I got in the box for them.”
The quick start is even more outstanding considering she was a late arrival to club soccer. Eggleston said basketball was her first love, and she had played on a church league soccer team before playing club ball.
“When I started club, I really liked it,” Eggleston said. “I think I started club in seventh grade, and in eighth grade I switched to a higher-level club.”
Once joining her club team, Eggleston became a soccer star. She played for the Region III Olympic Development Program Team from 2007 to 2009, traveling across the globe.
“I’ve been to Costa Rica twice, Italy and Portugal with the team, and we would go to Florida every year to Boca Raton,” Eggleston said. “That was a regional camp. We’d go to state ODP in the summer, and from there they’d choose a regional pool, and from that they’d choose a regional team, which is the team that would travel to the international trip.”
She said her favorite trip was to Costa Rica her senior year because the soccer was competitive and she got to do community service. Eggleston has also assisted her own community, interning at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
Eggleston helps her teammates find the net, but off the pitch she also assists people in need. Her mother, Melissa Eggleston, said Addie participated in a three-week internship her senior year of high school working with patients with spinal cord injuries.
“It’s at a big rehab hospital over in the medical center, and she signed up and decided she wanted to do it,” her mother said. “She really enjoyed getting to do that.”
Melissa Eggleston said Addie had always been faster than her teammates and opponents on the field. Addie Eggleston’s family got to witness the speed firsthand as she wowed the crowd against South Alabama with her three-assist, two-goal performance.
“We’re thrilled for her because this is a dream come true for her,” Melissa Eggleston said. “She’s been waiting a long time to play with this group of kids, and she’s loved it. She’s really clicked with the team.”
LSU coach Brian Lee said he was excited to reel in Addie Eggleston, the No. 33-ranked recruit in the country, to his already highly-ranked recruiting class. Lee is making the transition from a senior-heavy squad last season to a gifted group of young athletes in 2010.
“[Addie Eggleston’s] one of the top kids in the country,” Lee said. “We always felt like she was underrated. She’s a great kid who’s going to get better and better. She’s got plenty of talent, but she’s also got all the intangibles you look for in a person.”
Lee said the learning curves for freshmen vary. Some need more time in the weight room or conditioning or adjusting to college life, while others can jump right in comfortably.
After her home debut, it seems Eggleston is already prepared.
“[Addie Eggleston] has a good personality to come in and step in right away and contribute,” Lee said.
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]