In the fall of 2004, LSUS Athletic Director Doug Robinson announced that LSUS would be adding women’s soccer as the school’s fourth athletics program beginning in 2005, while also naming Jed Jones as the first head coach in the program’s history.
On August 26, 2005, the Lady Pilots soccer team hit the field for the very first time. Although their debut ended in defeat, the Lady Pilots far exceeded anyone’s expectations in their inaugural season. Led by a core of underclassmen, the Lady Pilots posted 12 wins on the year, including making their first-ever postseason appearance in the Region XIII Tournament. Following the season, Coach Jones was recognized as the LSWA Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year Award while six Lady Pilots were selected to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference All-Conference Team, including Freshman Shaderia Evans being named the 2005 GCAC Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2006 season opened up with high expectations, as the Lady Pilots returned 10 starters off of the 2005 team that advanced to postseason play. The Lady Pilots did not disappoint their fans in 2006, as they posted a school-record 14 wins and won their first-ever Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championship. Coach Jones was named the 2006 GCAC Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Pilots to the program’s first conference title and to the Region XIII Tournament for the second consecutive year. Sophomore forward Julia Vaughan dominated opposing defenses throughout the 2006 season. Her 17-goals and eight assists in 17 games led the Lady Pilots in their record-setting season. Vaughan was named 1st-Team All-GCAC and was selected the GCAC-Offensive Player of the Year following the season. Vaughan set a school records in 2006 with 42-points (2.46 points per game), 17 goals (1 goal per game). In addition to Vaughan, five other Lady Pilots were named to the All-GCAC team, as goalkeeper Kelsi McNew was also named the 2006 GCAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
In 2007, the Lady Pilots posted their third consecutive winning season, finishing the year with an 11-8-1 overall mark. The Lady Pilots made history once again in 2007, as they picked up their first-ever postseason victory over the # 14-ranked Auburn University at Montgomery to advance to the Region XIII Semifinals. LSUS once again placed five members on the All-GCAC team, while Vaughan and freshman Caitlin Smith were also honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Vaughan was named to the LSWA first team for the second consecutive season, while Smith earned LSWA Freshman of the Year honors following her debut season in a Lady Pilots uniform.
All Lady Pilot home games are played at “The Swamp” on the LSUS campus. The soccer complex is located on the southeast corner of the campus, on the east side of Pilot Field and directly south of “The Dock”.
The Lady Pilots compete in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). |
