EUGENE, Ore. — The LSU soccer team opens the 2005 season against the Oregon State Beavers on Friday at 7 p.m. CDT in the Oregon Classic at Pape’ Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. The Tigers will follow with a match against tournament host Oregon on Sunday at 2 p.m.
This marks the Tigers’ first meeting against a team from the Pac-10 Conference and the first season opener on the road since defeating Stephen F. Austin, 2-0, in Nacogdoches, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2002. LSU owns an 8-2 record all-time in season openers and has won seven straight.
First-year head coach Brian Lee inherits a program that posted an 8-11-1 overall record in 2004, and he is excited about the opportunity to open the season on the road against two teams from one of the elite soccer conferences in the nation.
“We’re just excited to play some other opposition in a real game and start to learn more about ourselves and where we stand,” Lee said. “We’re excited to play two teams from the Pac-10, which is arguably one of the top two or three conferences in the country.”
Lee believes that if the Tigers find success during the weekend, the team can build a foundation for a run at the NCAA Tournament.
“Probably the best non-conference opponent we play is right out of the gate, Oregon State,” Lee said. “They should have a great chance to be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. We turn around and play Oregon two days later. If we can come out of this weekend with positive results then we can start thinking about an NCAA at-large bid.”
LSU returns just five seniors to a roster that includes five sophomores and eight true freshmen, and Lee admits he is anxious to see how his young team responds to the challenge of opening the season on the road.
“We’re a young team, so we’ll see how we adjust to the travel side of the whole trip,” Lee said. “Can we put all of those things aside and focus on what is important? It’s all about the 90-minute match on Friday and the 90-minute match on Sunday. If we stay focused we can have success.”
The Tigers will return to Baton Rouge and the LSU Soccer Complex for their home opener against South Alabama on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. followed by a match against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 4 at noon.