LSUS started the season 0-0-5. It could have been much worse, but also much better. Kay boiled it down to “A lot of new”. New players, new coaches, and even a new system to play under. What it took to go from 0-0-5 to 12-0-5 was simply the players buying into the new system. Eleven players returned from a season ago, and four of those guys had been with the team for the past three seasons, which is as long as Kay has been the head coach. For the past couple seasons, the boys were playing under one system. That system changed this season. Kay said there was a seven-day period where there were no games to play, and during that period was where questions were answered and problems were solved. 

Then just like that, it was Red River tournament time. LSUS went to the championship and lost to Xavier. They needed the win to guarantee themselves a spot in the national tournament. Fortunately for the Pilots, their resume was more than enough to not only get them in, but as one of 16 hosts for the opening round. “We Kinda Knew, obviously nothing guaranteed”. Kay gave credit to past teams who started bringing success to LSUS that had never been seen. With now four consecutive RRAC titles and four consecutive NAIA tournament appearances, LSUS is quickly getting themselves into the national spotlight. 

“We’ve got a really good group of lads, and they want to win, and they are winners”. For this team, the records that have been broken do not matter to them. “The records that we’re breaking aren’t worth breaking”. “If you look at our records, then look at the records the top teams have broken, we still have a long way to go to break those records”. I think it is safe to say that Kay’s Pilots are tough to satisfy. That is why there is a reason to believe in this team. 

I asked if Kay and the team took inspiration from seeing the baseball team bring home the red banner. He said it showed the rest of the school that it could be done, and that the men’s soccer team is up to do their part to bring home another red banner. 

Something that separates this team from years prior is the depth. Typically, around 13-14 players get real playing time for each match. For Kay’s team, there are consistently around 27 players per match getting significant time. This is also one of the most talented groups Kay has ever coached since he started coaching in 2018 as an assistant coach at Mid-America Christian. 

The opponent for the Pilots on Saturday will be Faulkner, a school in Montgomery, Alabama. They come out of the Southern States Conference, one which LSUS is familiar with having played Mobile and William Carey. The SSC is one of the strongest conferences in the nation, and Faulkner is not a team to be “slept on”. Kay believes the Pilots will be prepared because of the competition they have already faced and defeated in the regular season. Faulkner is in the tournament for the first time ever and is in the position LSUS was in a couple years ago. Kay knows the mindset they will bring, and that the match won’t be a cakewalk. 

The team knows, however, that once November rolls around, every game is important. The players will have to leave everything on the field. They know they belong, and they believe they can win it all. 

LSUS does not often get to host national tournament games, and Coach Kay has a simple message for fans to show up and make the Swamp the place to be this Saturday, “Come be a part of history again”.