Senior seasons are seen as sacred entities for college athletes. Four years of toil together can forge a bond between members of a graduating class.
For this season’s LSU soccer team, a quintet of seniors has taken a different path to maintaining the Tigers’ continued ascent toward the elite halls of NCAA soccer.
That unique path hasn’t stopped the group from bouncing back from an 8-8-5 campaign last year by notching the Tigers’ fourth Southeastern Conference Western division title in five years this fall. They also set a program record for wins with 50 — and counting — in four seasons.
But only senior goalkeeper Mo Isom and midfielder Kellie Murphy were on the Tiger roster every step of the way.
A trio of Canadian natives —Taryne Boudreau, Allysha Chapman and Natalie Martineau — made their way to a Baton Rouge home via national-team redshirts and transfers.
Boudreau arrived on campus in 2007, but redshirted the next season to play in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the Canadian squad.
Martineau joined LSU as a junior prior to the 2010 season after transferring from Division II University of Montevallo.
Chapman played with Boudreau on that U-20 national team, and she ended up on the Tiger roster in 2009 following her own transfer from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2008.
“We have a very unified senior class, but we sort of accumulated as a group through the years,” Isom said. “We didn’t come in together, so it’s been a constant meshing process in every way. It makes our success so fulfilling to have that energy and still share new experiences with again.”
Isom is probably the most famous name in program history and, as Martineau calls her, “Hollywood all the way” because of her gregarious nature.
Although self-proclaimed as a free spirit and labeled the class clown by teammates, Isom is all business on the field.
Her 30 career shutouts are an LSU record, but her job wasn’t even guaranteed entering her senior year after a leg injury sidelined her in 2010 and showcased backup Megan Kinneman’s prowess.
“To basically have been out a whole year and not knowing your fate, it gives you perspective,” Isom said. “I had to really grind and work to earn my senior shot. It feels surreal and humbling to get the chance coach.”
While a burgeoning LSU program continues to push toward new accomplishments, the five senior starters have one specific goal in mind before they leave — an SEC Tournament title.
“I’ve always said that I wanted to leave LSU with a ring,” Boudreau said. “This is my last chance to be the best in the