BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team returns to Southeastern Conference play on Friday, as the Tigers face the Ole Miss Rebels in a Western Division showdown at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
“Well, we’re playing the defending Western Division champs tomorrow,” said LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “They are definitely one of the best teams in the SEC and they’re playing good soccer. We’re going to have to leave everything on the field tomorrow and none of our players can give anything less than 100 percent.”
LSU heads into Friday’s contest with an overall record of 5-2-1 and an 0-1 mark in the SEC. The Tigers fell to 16th-ranked Florida, 3-0, in their lone conference game of the season on Sept. 7. In its last game, LSU defeated Alabama A&M, 1-0, on the road in Huntsville, Ala., to extend its undefeated streak to four games.
The Rebels come into Baton Rouge with a 5-4-1 overall record and are also in the midst of a four game undefeated streak. Ole Miss begins SEC play on Friday after opening its season against several tough non-conference opponents. The Rebels started the 2001 campaign on the road against 18th-ranked Virginia and lost a close game, 3-0, on Sept. 1.
The LSU soccer team owns a stellar 4-1 record at the LSU Soccer Complex this season. The Tigers earned victories over McNeese State (5-0), Louisiana-Lafayette (3-0), Nicholls State (3-0), and Auburn-Montgomery (4-1). LSU’s loss against Florida is the only blemish for the Tigers at home this season.
“This is going to be a tough one,” Fotopoulos said. “Our players are going to have to be on their ?A’ game against Ole Miss, and we’re going to need to be able to capitalize on our chances. Hopefully, we’ll have a large home crowd out there to give us a bit of an advantage.”
Friday’s contest will be Ole Miss’ first road match since a 1-0 win versus Northern Illinois on Sept. 23. The Rebels are 2-4 on the road this season with victories over both UAB and Northern Illinois. Ole Miss dropped UAB by a score of 2-1 in the second overtime.
The all-time series record is knotted at 3-3 between the two SEC Western Division rivals. The Rebels earned a 2-1 victory in last season’s contest, while LSU upset Ole Miss, 2-1, at home in 1999.
The LSU soccer team looks to earn a huge SEC victory on Friday, as the Tigers host the Ole Miss Rebels at 7 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
Admission is free for LSU students, $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12.