Baucom And Tigers Soccer Off To Hot Start

I'm not going to lie, I was not exactly comfortable at the Indiana-LSU game on Sunday. I wasn't hungover, but I passed out at 12:20 Saturday night due to pure exhaustion stemming from the long day I had, and Sunday I was in the metal bleachers out in the searing heat at noon. Any alcohol still in my system has now been sweated out. But this was the game the Baton Rouge chapter of the American Outlaws had selected to be the game that we all try to go to.

The real reason I dragged myself to this game was to see how much more dominant Jorian Baucom could be. She didn't disappoint. Baucom netted a penalty following a handball and then found the net again to close out a 4-0 victory over Indiana with the help of two goals from Summer Clark. Baucom now has six goals and two assists in six games (!) to help the Tiger jump off to a 4-0-2 start.

Friday night Baucom completely won me over when she ran over a poor midfielder trying to reel in a pass on the sideline. Instead of returning to her position on the field, Jorian imposed herself by staring down the Ball State coach and bench. She was for all intents and purposes double teamed the rest of the night, and the Cardinals were still struggling to stop her from making unassisted runs.

Baucom isn't the only stud on the team. Canadian national Summer Clarke has three goals and two assists and is just as likely to go on long, winding runs as Baucom is. Natalia Gomez-Junco is credited with six assists thus far, and Lexi Gibbs has been LSU's default super sub, coming on often and playing airtight soccer.

In case you're unaware, NCAA women's soccer is a lot more...aggressive than men's soccer. If you're somebody that hates soccer (you're wrong, but you do you man) you may actually enjoy the Tigers play than you would the Premier League, despite the quality of the players. To wit: Friday night, when LSU and Ball State played Friday night, the defenders of both teams played the ball back four times. That's four times for both teams. If either team has the ball, they're on a straightforward attack. It's incredibly aggressive and so fun to watch. Hell, that game against Ball State ended in a tie because both teams played so hard for 80 minutes that they both ran out of gas at the same time.

I won't tell you straight up to go to the games, but I will say it's a chill atmosphere and very easy to work into your schedule.

It won't be on TV, but Friday night LSU opens up SEC play against Alabama, then comes back for a date with Duke on Sunday at noon. The Saints play at 3, in case you still are about the NFL. Starting with the Thursday night game at home against Georgia, 8 straight matched are on the SEC Network. If you're staying in town overnight after the Auburn game, they play at home against Marquette at noon. Every game is free to go to.