It has been more than two years since the LSU soccer team earned a place in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The wait is over as the Tigers will seek their first conference tournament win against top-seeded Auburn in the opening game of the tournament at 11:30 a.m. today in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Tigers (11-4-3, 2-3-3 SEC) qualified for the tournament as No. 8 seed by notching a 1-1 draw against Arkansas on the season’s final day. Coach George Fotopoulos was jumping up and down on the field following Ashley Mitnick’s game tying goal in the 40th minute.
“It’s been a long two years and Sunday’s win put us back where we should have been,” Fotopoulos said.
Last season, the Tigers were forced to watch as LSU hosted the SEC tournament.
“We have a really young team and this is going to be a new experience for a lot of them,” Fotopoulos said. “A majority of our players haven’t played in an SEC Tournament, but both of our captains have, so they will have positive affect on them.”
Each season, the top-eight teams compete at the conference tournament with the champion earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers currently are a bubble team and need at least one victory to receive an at-large bid for the national tournament.
Fotopoulous said that although Auburn is the top seed and conference champion, there is no one he would rather face.
“I sincerely believe that we can beat any team in this conference when we are playing our best soccer,” Fotopoulos said. “In order to be the best, you have to play the best.”
Fotopoulos will get his wish in the form of the Auburn Tigers who enter the SEC Tournament after winning their first championship in school history. Auburn finished the season with an impressive 6-1-2 record against the league. Last month, LSU battled back from a 3-0 halftime deficit but eventually fell 3-2.
“That was a tough weekend for us,” Fotopoulos said. “Since then, we have turned things around, got our defense organized and started to score some goals. We are playing better soccer right now.”
The Tigers will rely on senior forward Mandy Heintz to produce for a team that is 1-3-2 in its last six games. Heintz socred 22 goals this season, including eight game-winners, to go along with four assists. Sunday’s hero, Mitnick, is second on the squad with two goals and one assist.
After starting the season 8-1 before entering SEC play, the Tigers struggled midway through the conference schedule and will have to fight their way through a bracket that includes Auburn and defending conference champion Florida.
“When you get into a conference tournament, seeding doesn’t matter because now it is a one-game season,” Fotopoulos said. “We have already reached two of our goals this season and now it is time to achieve our third which is to earn an at-large berth in the NCAAs.”