Before every game, LSU sophomore goalkeeper Mo Isom goes down on one knee to pray. She then turns to the crowd and holds up a zero to signify how many goals she intends to give up during the game.But this season, the Marietta, Ga. native, has to deal with the fact the person in the stands acknowledging that sign with their own zero is not the same person as it has been in the past. “Before my dad passed, I would hold up a zero with my hands and turn to him in the stands, and he would always hold it up back to me,” Isom said. “Now I hold the zero up to my mom, and she holds it back up to me.” Some of the fans sitting near her mom also hold a zero.John Isom committed suicide in January; Mo Isom has forgiven her father and wants to talk openly about what happened.”I am not ashamed. I gain strength and compassion every day after what happened. People who commit suicide feel very isolated and ashamed and, therefore, keep their pain inside,” Mo Isom said. “I would be more than happy to be the person that shows them that through faith, you can pull through anything and grow from it.”Through it all, Mo Isom points to her faith as to why she was able to function after her father’s death.”I have hit brick walls in my faith, and since everything has happened with my dad, it is the support and crutch that you need when no one else is around,” she said. “My faith has carried me through this.”Mo Isom was raised in the Methodist church, but at LSU she prefers to attend non-denominational service at the Healing Place or The Refuge in Baton Rouge. Isom also participates in many study groups throughout the week. In the immediate aftermath of her father’s death, the impact had Isom considering not returning to LSU for the 2009 spring semester.”It was so unexpected and so tragic, things just froze,” she said. “But I had to separate emotion from survival, something as tragic as that. I had to push forward and continue to succeed. I knew my dad would have wanted me to come back to school and keep playing soccer.”Isom returned only a couple weeks after her dad’s death. Now, when Isom goes down on one knee before games, she is not only praying — she is talking with her father.”It gives me an extra boost, and it makes me happy because I know he is watching,” Isom said.LSU soccer coach Brian Lee said Isom has emerged as a better player and a better person through all of the adversity.”Her dad was her biggest fan, and I believe it serves as motivation as she goes out there every day to make her dad proud of her, as she grows into a great soccer player and a great person as well,” Lee said.On the field, Isom has come back stronger than ever. Last season, Isom recorded seven shutouts, a LSU freshman record. This season, Isom has already surpassed last year’s shutout total with 11 and has led the Tigers to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.In their Southeastern Conference opener, Isom and the Tigers made their presence known, knocking off Georgia, 6-0, who at the time was the No. 6 team in the country. The Tigers finished as runners-up in the SEC in both the regular season and the tournament championship.Georgia coach Patrick Baker praised Isom as one of the brightest young goalies in the game.”I coached her as a youth player. I have always been a big fan of hers,” Baker said. “She is the type of player you want in your program. She has the talent to get that far, she has wonderful size, a wonderful presence and a tremendous kicking game.”Isom has only surrendered 17 goals on the season with a 0.75 goals against average. LSU senior midfielder Melissa Clarke said having a goaltender as good as Isom makes the entire team better.”It is very calming to have her behind us,” Clarke said. “You never have to look back and make sure she is in the right place, and she is always there for us to back us up. The goaltender is the leader of the defense, and because she is such a great communicator, she’s a natural at it.”For now, Isom is focused on being the best goaltender to ever wear the purple and gold, but past her collegiate career, she is focused on much loftier goals — competing in the Olympics and the World Cup.Isom took a major step toward those goals this summer. She was one of three goaltenders to be invited to work out with the Under 23 U.S. Women’s National Team. “We think Mo can be one of the best goalkeepers in the world by the time she is 25, and she is taking steps everyday to make sure that happens,” Lee said. Beyond soccer, Isom has lofty goals for herself when she finally hangs up her cleats.”Off the field I am hoping my soccer career will lead me into a career in broadcasting,” Isom said. “My dream is to work with ESPN or E! Entertainment. I love being in front of the camera and entertaining people.”Isom is a broadcast journalism major, having fallen in love with the broadcast media at a young age, co-hosting a show on a sports talk radio station in Atlanta and working with Disney/ABC Radio.————Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at [email protected]