It hadn’t truly settled in for senior Caroline Brockmeier that this would be her final season as an LSU Tiger, but slowly and surely, she’s coming to terms with it.
“This season means everything to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better senior year. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to spend my senior year with … honestly it’s just been a thrill,” the goalkeeper said.
Those thrills have included eight shutouts, 62 saves in 15 games and 0.97 goals against average. There’s no question that Brockmeier is having one of the greatest seasons that an LSU goalkeeper has had, and to top it off, the team itself is having one of their better seasons in recent history, as they currently sit in a tie for sixth in the Southeastern Conference standings.
Brockmeier’s story didn’t start in Baton Rouge, rather it started in Tallahassee, Florida. She went to Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, just a 30 minute drive from Florida State University. And it just so happens that the Florida State women’s soccer program is one of the best in the country, having made 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances dating back to 2000.
Brockmeier was, to put it bluntly, a really good goalkeeper in her high school career. Good enough to get the attention of Florida State, who offered her a scholarship. Brockmeier joined the Seminoles in 2014, but redshirted her freshman year. In 2015, Brockmeier made seven appearances in net, not allowing a goal in any of them and making three saves.
Although the team was having success, Brockmeier felt the need for a new start, and that’s what LSU coach Brian Lee offered her.
“When I visited here, [Lee] explained to me that we’re a family here, and that’s what sold me. I was just excited to get that opportunity here,” Brockmeier said.
And so, Brockmeier was thrust into the starting goalkeeper spot for the Tigers in her first season, and in her first game against then – No. 17 Virginia Tech, made eight saves and didn’t allow a goal, giving the Tigers a 1-0 win.
Throughout her three seasons as a Tiger, Brockmeier has continued to grow, not only a player, but also a vocal leader for the team. Junior forward Marlena Cutura has been able to see that first-hand.
“Before each half, the team always huddles up, and she’s always the one hyping us up, telling us what to focus on, and that really helps us be ready to go out and play the best game we can play,” Cutura said.
As for on the field, Brockmeier’s vocal leadership and ability to help start the attack help give the backline confidence to push up the pitch knowing that they have her to help cover for them.
“She’s so important to the success of the team, and a lot of those reasons don’t show up in the box score,” Cutura said.
While many observers may not notice the contributions Brockmeier makes other than saves, goalkeeper coach and former Tiger goalkeeper Megan Kinneman sees all of them, and has been able to help bring out the best in Brockmeier these past two seasons.
Kinneman was the last LSU goalkeeper to put up the same kind of numbers Brockmeier has, even with her 5-foot-4 stature. And at 5-foot-10, Brockmeier is able to contribute in a different way.
“It’s been fun to take a player who is very different then I was and see how I can help her,” Kinneman said. “She plays a very different style than I did and it’s been interesting trying to help her improve as a leader and a player.”
As for those contributions that don’t show up in the box score, Kinneman rattled off one after another in just a few minutes.
“She helps manage the tempo of the game with her play out of the back,” Kinneman said. “She might catch three or four crosses that don’t always get recorded as saves, and just her presence and how she manages the game are incredibly important and don’t show up in the box score.”
As for the future, Brockmeier isn’t sure yet if she will pursue a career as a pro, or attend physician’s assistant school.
“I’m kind of in the middle of figuring it out, but it can go either direction. We’ll see.”
Whether she decides to go pro or not, there’s no doubt that Brockmeier has left her stamp on LSU soccer, and it’s one that shouldn’t be forgotten any time soon.