LSU Tigers
Overall Rank: #35
Conference Rank: #7 SEC
LSU Team Page
LSU reached the NCAA Tournament last season, but were totally outmatched by new conference mate Texas A&M in College Station. Coach Brian Lee has built a solid program with the Tigers, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered this year. Gone are the team leader in goals and assists and the goalie. This is a team that may not be able to go 8-3-0 in SEC play again this year, but by the end of the season the Tigers will be a tough out.
2011 Record: 13-8-1, 8-3-0
2011 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Brian Lee
Strengths:
LSU has a lot of reason to be optimistic for this season and the future. Coach Lee brought in a superb recruiting class that is littered with impact players. Jade Kovacevic is a versatile player who could be starting in the midfield from day one. Haley Emerson and Heather Magee, who is currently ranked as the 35th best incoming freshman in the class 2012, will add more depth to the midfield. Colby Maffei and Fernanda Pina will look to make an impact up front, while Morgan Ruhl will battle for the starting job to replace keeper Mo Isom. For now the Tigers may have to rely on their experienced defense. Assuming Ruhl, or one of the other highly regarded keepers, can live up to their potential, the Tigers will have a very strong defense. Alex Ramsey and Jodi Calloway were regular starters in the back last season and Shannon McLain has plenty of experience.
Weaknesses:
The problem LSU will have is replacing Taryne Boudreau and Natalie Martineau. Boudreau netted 12 goals and added six assists. She took 84 shots on the year while the next highest total was 25 by returning junior Addie Eggleston. That is a huge difference in shots and somebody needs to step up and start taking some cracks at the goal. Martineau was often the player who set up Boudreau for those goals. She tallied ten assists during her senior campaign and also ranked tied for second on the team with four goals. Eggleston is one of the many players who can help pick up the slack. Carlie Banks, Kaley Blades and Reyna Lubin are also forwards who can find the back of the net. No one player has to do what Boudreau or Martineau did, but finding a consistent scorer like Boudreau and a playmaker as talented as Martineau is not easy.
Final Projection:
Comparing numbers is not really fair for this group. Banks is a quality playmaker and there are plenty of options for Coach Lee to choose from when looking for a new go-to-scorer. Even the upperclassmen like Eggleston and Banks had to take a backseat to Boudreau and Martineau. Now it is their turn to prove that they can be productive when given the opportunity. It remains to be seen how productive the returning players will be, but the crop of newcomers will put the Tigers back in the mix for an NCAA Tournament berth. With just three seniors on the roster this year, there will be some growing pains, but by November this team should be able to compete with just about anybody in the SEC.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Addie Eggleston, Junior, F, 4
Assists: Carlie Banks, Senior, F, 7
Shots: Addie Eggleston, Junior, F, 25
Saves: Megan Kinneman, Junior, GK, 15
Madness 2012 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#35 Heather Magee
#97 Morgan Ruhl
