Thompson wears LSU with family and hometown pride

Two of the things that people take the most pride in representing are their family and where they’re from. For junior Molly Thompson, playing soccer at LSU always her to represent both proudly.

You could definitely consider Molly Thompson a legacy at LSU. Both of her parents are alumni and her brother currently attends the school. “It’s nice being at LSU with my older brother because we’re close and he’s been a huge support system in my life,” Molly told BGN. “He inspires me to be a better person and student.”

“When I was deciding where I was going to play in college, I had some other places I was interested in, but in my heart, I knew LSU was the place for me to go. The facilities here are the best in the country and the culture is unbeatable. My younger brother, Hayes, is a senior in high school right now and he is still deciding where he wants to go to college. He is looking at different schools to further his education and pole vault.”

Molly was a star in two sports in high school at Vandebilt Catholic HS. In addition to excelling at soccer, she was a state champion in the 300-meter hurdles. Thompson explained, “Running the hurdles in high school helped me to improve my speed and overcome adversities in my own life. Being fast is an essential part of being a forward because you have to separate yourself from defenders with quick bursts of speed. Coach Coleman and Coach Ezell, my track coaches, helped me improve my speed.”

With that track pedigree, where does she rank among the fastest players on the LSU soccer team? “In terms of rankings, that’s a tough one to answer because some of the fastest players also used to run track in high school. But I’d say I’m top 5,” she said.

Using that speed, Molly was able to score five goals and pick up two assists in her first two seasons at LSU. Now that she’s an upperclassman, she will be expected to step up her play and production for the Tigers. “There’s always room for improvement in the game, so this season I’m working towards improving my technical abilities and creating more quality chances in the final third,” she said. “This season, with a new coaching staff and new players, our style of play is one that will win us games this year. Our new coaching staff is implementing building out of the back, keeping possession, and combining in the final third as opposed to the normal way of playing in the SEC, which is more direct.”

There’s been an adjustment period early on as LSU has lost two matches to open the 2020 slate, but they will be looking for their first win of the unusual NCAA season on Sunday when they face Mississippi State.

When Molly puts that jersey on vs. the Bulldogs, she will be representing her family school as well as her home state, growing up just a couple of hours south of Baton Rouge in Houma, Louisiana. “There is a sense of pride being from Louisiana and going to LSU. It is home for me and I love being close to my family,” she said.

She believes that people outside of Louisiana don’t know how beautiful the scenery is, specifically mentioning the sunsets and the oak trees around campus. When it comes to Louisiana food, Thompsons lists boiled crawfish, crawfish etouffee, gumbo, and boiled crabs as some of her favorites.

Molly Thompson and the Tigers will be hoping their first win of 2020 is on the menu Sunday afternoon when they take on MSU, live on the SEC Network.