Although the LSU soccer team suffered a disappointing end to last season and lost valuable players such as Southeastern Conference scoring leader Mandy Heintz, it enters this season with high expectations.
“For the first time in four years, I’m really excited,” said senior midfielder Jen deHay. “Because I think we’re doing really well and we’ve worked really hard. I think our expectation as a team is to win the SEC and make the NCAA’s.
“We know we have to win all our non-conference games and play even harder in the SEC. Last year, we were so close and we missed it by a little so we got to come out and leave no doubt in everyone’s mind.”
The Tigers will be looking for leadership from senior midfielder Stephanie Keating who was second in the SEC with 10 assists last year, junior forward Artie Brown who started every game last season and added five goals along with junior goalkeeper Robyn DesOrmeaux who registered 56 saves and five shutouts last year.
The incoming freshmen will be expected to contribute immediately, said LSU coach George Fotopoulos. Freshmen forward Stacy Bishop, midfielder Michelle DeCespedes and forward Joleen Phillips will be called upon to fill in the gaps up front. When LSU needs aid in the backfield, Fotopoulos will be able to use quality freshman such as defenders Ashleigh Gunning, Stephanie Ford and Christina Best.
“The freshmen coming in are really strong,” Keating said. “The players that have come in so far have definitely stepped up. They’re filling in well.”
Last season, the Tigers had many unprecedented accomplishments such as defeating 15th-ranked Florida State, giving LSU its first win over a top-15 opponent since the inception of the program. It also grabbed the first post-season victory when it upset top-seeded Auburn in the SEC tournament.
Despite those accomplishments and a strong finish, the Tigers were not awarded a spot in the NCAA tournament. Fotopoulos said the way last season ended will have little effect on this year’s team.
“Everything starts new,” he said. “We start from scratch. We can’t really take anything positive or negative from last year. It’s a new team, new bunch of girls and a new season.”
When Fotopoulos first came to LSU four years ago, he said he established a five-year plan to pull the LSU soccer program out of the doldrums.
“We didn’t have the talent pool that we needed to be competitive in the conference or for that matter in the state of Louisiana,” Fotopoulos said.
His goal was to have LSU competing in the NCAA tournament by the fifth year and he believes they are in the right place for the fourth year of the plan. He said this year’s recruiting class is evidence of that and he expects them to help LSU climb to the top.
“We brought in some players that are still improving at this level,” Fotopoulos said. “But I think if given the time and opportunity, eventually they will be as good as those players if not better.”