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THE GOALKEEPERS
Soccer Team Notes
BATON
ROUGE – While the Tigers will feature one of the most talented back
lines in the SEC this fall, they are also blessed with a pair of
All-SEC caliber goalkeepers in senior star Mo Isom and sophomore
standout Megan Kinneman to anchor perhaps the league’s top defensive
unit in 2011.
Kinneman emerged as one of the top young
goalkeepers in the country with her efforts as a freshman last fall as
she turned a record-breaking season into All-SEC consideration and a
selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team. After making her collegiate
debut in a Sept. 17 road contest against No. 21-ranked Illinois,
Kinneman started 14-straight matches while posting a total of six
shutouts and allowing just 10 goals to LSU’s opponents in 2010. She
also set a new team single-season record with a 0.66 goals against
average in nearly 1,362 minutes to rank No. 1 among all goalkeepers in
the Southeastern Conference.
A native of Missouri City, Texas,
Kinneman certainly showed the form that earned her a selection as a
TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 recruit in the country as part of the
recruiting Class of 2010. She ranked No. 96 nationwide and No. 9
nationally among goalkeeper recruits during an outstanding senior
campaign at Elkins High School.
Kinneman continued to shine
during the 2011 spring season as she started all six matches in goal
for the Tigers as she will again compete with Isom for the starting job
this fall.
Isom has proven herself as one of the leading
goalkeepers in the history of the SEC as she has posted 31 career wins
with 22 shutouts and a 0.78 goals against average in her three seasons
at LSU. She has also started 50 of 51 games during her collegiate
career as she ranks among the SEC’s all-time career leaders at the
goalkeeper position.
In fact, Isom ranks No. 3 in league history
with her 0.78 career goals against average. She is also tied for the
No. 8 spot on the league’s all-time career list with 22 shutouts.
A
product of Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., Isom is working to
regain the form she showed as an All-SEC contender and member of the
Under-23 U.S. Women’s National Team player pool in her first two
seasons. She sustained an Achilles injury that limited her
effectiveness in goal during her junior season last fall.
“We’re
in a unique situation in that we have two All-SEC caliber goalkeepers
leading our defense this season,” Lee said. “That kind of competition
is only going to make our defense better as we compete for an SEC
championship this fall. That is the kind of depth you have to have for
a run through a league like the Southeastern Conference. We’re
comfortable with either leading our defense and are excited for the
competition we’ll see all season long.”
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