BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team will open its 2003 season on Friday as the Tigers will face Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. in game two of the Tiger Classic I at the LSU Soccer Complex in Baton Rouge.
“Well, we are tired of practicing and are ready to play,” said LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “We still have a few question marks and I am concerned about a few things but we will see if we are able to overcome some things and play well.”
Game one of the weekend tournament features Jackson State and UL-Lafayette at 5 p.m. on Friday. The tournament wraps up on Sunday with ULL and Coastal Carolina at 11 a.m. and LSU facing Jackson State at 1 p.m. The Tigers will be playing both Coastal Carolina and Jackson State for the first time in school history. The Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina are coming off an 8-6-4 season and return nine starters. Jackson State is in just its second year of existence and were 1-11 last season.
“This is going to be match because they (Coastal Carolina) is an athletic team so we need to be prepared,” said Fotopoulos. “It all starts right here and our No. 1 goal is just to get a victory.”
LSU is coming off an impressive 12-5-3 season in which the Tigers advanced to the SEC Tournament for the fourth time in school history where they became the first No. 8 seed to ever win an opening-round contest in tournament history, knocking off top-seeded Auburn by a score of 1-0. The Tigers finished the season with a No. 6 NSCAA regional ranking.
LSU returns seven starters and 17 letterwinners from last season’s squad, including All-SEC midfielder Stephanie Keating, 2001 All-SEC forward Artie Brown, and junior goalkeeper Robyn DesOrmeaux. Fotopoulos became the Tigers’ all-time winningest coach last season and enters his fourth season at the helm.
The Tigers have won eight-straight matches against non-conference opponents dating back to last season and are 24-3-1 against non-conference competition under Fotopoulos.
LSU will host McNeese State on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. in Baton Rouge before playing host to its second tournament of the season, the Tiger Classic II, next weekend. Loyola (Md.), will play McNeese State on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. and LSU will square off with Birmingham Southern at 7 p.m. The tournament ends on Sunday, Sept. 7 with McNeese State playing Birmingham Southern at 11 a.m. and LSU facing Loyola at 1 p.m.
The LSU marketing and promotions department will host the “LSU Kick-Off Tailgate Party” prior to LSU’s match on Friday. The festivities feature a Pre-game tailgate, and $1 tickets for groups that present a football RV parking pass or an individual that presents a 2003 football ticket.