BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team aims to complete a weekend sweep of Southeastern Conference opponents on Sunday, as the Tigers host the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs at 1 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
LSU earned a vital 3-0 win over Ole Miss on Friday in its opening game of the weekend doubleheader.
“Mississippi State is going to be a very tough team to beat,” said LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “They’ve been playing some good soccer lately, and we’re going to have to come out and play like we did against Ole Miss.”
The Tigers head into Sunday’s Western Division battle with an overall record of 6-2-1 on the season and with a 1-1 mark in SEC play. LSU is in the midst of a five-game unbeaten streak where the Tigers have outscored their opponents, 13-3.
LSU’s last loss was a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of South Alabama on Sept. 19, in Mobile, Ala. The Tigers couldn’t overcome an early two-goal deficit and fell, 2-1.
The Lady Bulldogs come into Baton Rouge with a 7-4 overall record and a 0-1 mark versus SEC opponents. Mississippi State fell to Arkansas on Friday, 4-1, in its first conference game of the season.
Friday’s loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Lady Bulldogs in which they defeated Chattanooga (3-0), Duquesne (3-0) and UTEP (1-0).
Mississippi State has struggled on the road this season and owns a 3-4 mark away from Starkville, Miss. The Lady Bulldogs also suffered a tough 2-1 loss at South Alabama. Mississippi State fell in double overtime in the contest.
“Mississippi State is perennially one of the top teams in the Western Division,” Fotopoulos said. “They had a good season last year and they picked up the best recruiting class in the division during the offseason. So, they are a very talented team and will be tough to beat tomorrow.”
LSU leads the all-time series versus Mississippi State by a count of 5-1.
The Tigers have been victorious in the previous three match-ups and have not been defeated by Mississippi State since Sept. 12, 1997. The Lady Bulldogs edged LSU, 1-0, in Baton Rouge at the LSU Soccer Complex.
In last season’s contest, the Tigers stunned a talented Mississippi State squad, 2-0, on the road in Starkville, Miss. LSU improved to an impressive 10-2 record with the victory and earned its sixth-road win of the season.
The LSU soccer team will attempt to complete a weekend sweep of its Western Division rivals on Sunday, as the Tigers host the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs at 1 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex. Admission is free for LSU students, $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12.