The LSU soccer team is using a two-week-long break from the playing field to tune up its play, increase players’ fitness level and rehabilitate injuries.
Senior midfielder Jen deHay said the Tigers only were given two days off from the practice field and practiced hard last week by raising the intensity level to help the team prepare for Southeastern Conference play.
“We’ve been increasing the pressure that we put on each other in practice,” deHay said. “SEC teams will come and press us with three or four players while the others usually use like two.”
Each assistant coach took a day to run their own practice.
“Tracy [Hay] focuses on competition, Ricky [Zambrano] focuses on team shape and Danielle [Fotopoulos] is offense oriented,” deHay said.
Hay had the team run competitive drills giving the players an incentive to win. Drills like the four beat four competition had individual teams of four compete against one another having the losing teams run while the others keep on playing.
Danielle Fotopoulos ran practice using the warmup from her Women’s United Soccer Association team, the Carolina Courage.
“It was pretty intense,” said freshman defender Stephanie Ford. “It was physical stuff with some fitness.”
During the heat of the season, coach George Fotopoulos has few opportunities to work the team hard because often the team plays three games a week, making it important for the players to reserve their energy for games.
deHay said the two week break is similar to preseason.
Fotopoulos not only works with the teamon improving their fitness and intensity, but also reworks some parts of the game plan. The coaches have now seen plenty of film giving them a clear picture of areas that need improvement.
“He’s working with the forwards to maintain possession of the ball,” deHay said. “He just wants them to stay really high, get the ball and hold the ball.”
Ford said she believes the team needed to do some work over the break and she thinks the reworking of game plans has been effective.
“After the Southeastern game, we felt like we needed to rework some things to get where we need to be,” she said. “We’ve reworked our formation to have two target players up top so we have a stronger offense. We’re a lot more organized than we were a week ago.”
Beyond working on game plans and physical fitness, Ford feels the team has improved some intangible elements of the team.
“I think we’ve all stepped up a little,” Ford said. “I feel like we have more leadership not from individuals, but everybody is doing what they need to be doing.”
The soccer team, which has a 7-1-1 record in non-conference play, begins SEC play against Kentucky in Lexington on Friday, followed by Vanderbilt on Sunday in Nashville. The team returns home on Oct. 10 to face Ole Miss and they will play Mississppi State on Oct. 12 at the LSU Soccer Complex.