BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team looks to earn its first win in the Southeastern Conference when it takes on division rival Mississippi State on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the LSU Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (4-4-2, 0-2-1 SEC) are coming off a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels on Friday in front of a record crowd of 1,689 fans in the third-annual “Cram the Complex” promotion presented by the LSU Marketing and Promotions Department.
LSU continues to be led by the forward tandem of senior Kate Ripple and junior Joleen Phillips, who have combined to score nine of the teams 12 goals this season. Ripple leads the team and is tied for third in the SEC with five goals, while Phillips is second on the team and tied for ninth in the conference with four.
“We feel like we have a potent scoring threat with Kate and Joleen up front,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We just have to create more chances for ourselves. We didn’t do that very well on Friday, and we must to do a better job of possessing the ball.”
Mississippi State (1-6-3, 0-3-0 SEC) is also coming off a 1-0 shutout to Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday with Christina Burger scoring the game-winning goal for the Razorbacks in the 74th minute of play.
The Bulldogs are led by the play of senior forward Betty Ann Casey, who leads the team with three goals, seven points and 29 shots, including 14 shots on goal. Despite the play of Casey, Mississippi State ranks at the bottom of the SEC in several statistical categories, including goals per game (0.70), points per game (2.10) and goals against average (1.50).
“We certainly don’t want to take anything for granted or overlook any team we play,” Lee said. “This is the SEC and any game you play will be a tough one. Mississippi State is a well-coached team, and this will be a good test for our players.”
After facing the Bulldogs, LSU will return to the LSU Soccer Complex next weekend with matches against Georgia on Friday at 7 p.m. and 20th-ranked Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m.