BATON ROUGE – Wednesday was an important day for women’s soccer programs across the country as high school recruits made their college decisions known by singing National Letters of Intent with their respective universities on National Signing Day.

The nationally-ranked LSU soccer program was no different as head coach Brian Lee added the services of nine prep standouts who will suit up with the club beginning in the 2009 season.
Members of the Class of 2009 who have decided to continue their athletic and academic pursuits at LSU include forwards Carlie Banks (Peachtree City, Ga.), Amy Jah (Arlington, Texas), Tricia Johnson (Mandeville, La.), Reyna Lubin (LaPlace, La.), Catherine Luparello (Mandeville, La.) and Amy Porter (Knoxville, Tenn.); midfielders Kelly Gautreaux (Mandeville, La.) and Natalie Ieyoub (Lake Charles, La.); and goalkeeper Hannah Linzay (Cheneyville, La.).

“This is a class that we feel has a great opportunity to make an impact on our program in the next four years,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We believe that each of these young ladies has all of the characteristics both on and off the field that will allow them to succeed in our program.”

Lee has stressed the importance of welcoming the best players in the state of Louisiana each year, and this year is no different as the Tigers have signed six in-state recruits for the Class of 2009.

The Tigers are sure to miss the leadership of senior captains and Mandeville natives Roslyn Jones and Casey Crawford, but they add three top prospects from the Mandeville area in Gautreaux, Johnson and Luparello. The trio has been the heart and soul of the Mandeville Lakers soccer club in recent years, leading the squad to the semifinals of the United States Youth Soccer Association Southern Regional Championships in 2008 following quarterfinal appearances in 2005 and 2007.

Gautreaux and Johnson also play with one another at St. Scholastica Academy where each earned first-team all-state honors following a 2008 season in which they led the team to the semifinals of the state tournament. They also led St. Scholastica to the state championship in 2007.

Luparello is set to wrap up her prep career at Pope John Paul II High School this spring where she has earned a pair of first-team all-district and district Most Valuable Player honors.

Lubin signs with LSU out of St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace where she is one of the most decorated athletes in school history. A finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman award in 2008, Lubin is the only soccer player in school history to score more than 100 goals in a career. She is an athletic forward who is a three-time first-team all-district selection.

Ieyoub is an all-state midfielder at St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles where she led her team to the Division III state championship in 2008. Linzay signs with LSU as the state’s top goalkeeper in the Class of 2009, earning first-team all-district and all-state honors at Bolton High School in 2008. She is a three-time first-team all-district selection in her high school career.

“We’re very excited about this group of in-state players that we’ve signed this year,” Lee said. “I think having the opportunity to wear the LSU uniform is something that every kid growing up in this state wants to do. This group has an opportunity to make a big impact on our program.

“Our staff does an outstanding job of recruiting year in and year out, and this year is no different. We’re very pleased with the depth and quality of our in-state signees this season. Daniel (Brizard) was instrumental in recruiting Hannah Linzay to our program, and Debbie (Hensley) continues to show her prowess as our recruiting coordinator in the state and in Canada.”

In addition to adding the best of the best in the state of Louisiana for the Class of 2009, the Tigers have also signed a trio of front line playmakers from beyond their own borders.

Banks has proven to be one of the top forwards in the South during her prep career at Starr’s Mill High School in Peachtree City, Ga. She is a past member of the Region III Olympic Development Program Team pool and was also named the Fayette County Player of the Year in 2007.

LSU has enjoyed great success in recruiting the state of Georgia in recent years as juniors Malorie Rutledge (Sharpsburg) and Melissa Clarke (Norcross), as well as freshman Mo Isom (Marietta) hail from the Peach State. Rutledge earned All-America honors in 2008 and is the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year, while Clarke earned Second-Team All-SEC honors and Isom was a Freshman All-American in her first season with the Tigers.

Jah, a standout at James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, is a veteran of the Dallas Sting soccer club and has helped lead the squad to the semifinals at the USYSA Southern Regionals in each of the last two seasons.

Porter is one of the most prolific scorers in the history of high school soccer in Tennessee during her career at Bearden High School in Knoxville. Porter capped her high school career in 2008 by being named the Knoxville News Sentinel PrepXtra Player of the Year after also earning NSCAA all-region honors. She is a three-time all-state selection who has scored 93 goals at Bearden.

“What is most exciting about adding three forwards of this quality is that each has shown a knack for scoring goals,” Lee said. “Each has an opportunity to come in and make an impact right away, and we can’t wait to get them in here and see their development in our program.”

With the signing of these nine student-athletes, they join sophomore transfer Allysha Chapman as part of LSU’s incoming class for the 2009 season.

Chapman comes to LSU following a stint at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she was a unanimous selection to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team as a freshman defender in 2007. Chapman redshirted during the 2008 season while competing with the Under-20 Canadian National Team at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile.

The Tigers must replace two starters from its 2008 roster, and sophomore Taryne Boudreau and junior Courtney Alexander will also look to fill the void after receiving a redshirt this fall. Like Chapman, Boudreau represented Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Alexander will gain her eligibility after transferring from Southeast Missouri State where she was an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2007.

“There is no doubt that we will have a very talented team returning in 2009,” Lee said. “Not only will we bring in a great group of freshmen, but we have a number of players who have been in the program make their return in 2009. This is just another step in the right direction for our team.”