GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU soccer team faces a tough challenge Friday as it looks to end its three-game Southeastern Conference losing skid on the road against the 19th-ranked Florida Gators in a match at 5:30 p.m. at James G. Pressly Stadium.
The Tigers (6-7-2, 2-5-1 SEC) enter the match winless against the Gators (10-4-1, 5-2-1 SEC) in seven tries as they are 0-6-1 all-time, including a close 2-1 defeat in Baton Rouge on Oct. 22 of last season.
“Florida has always been one of the beasts of the SEC, and playing them in Gainesville will be a great challenge for our team,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “All of the other coaches say traveling into Gainesville is about toughest road trip you can take. They have great fans and they’re having a good season. We’re looking forward to competing against a team like Florida.”
LSU has dropped consecutive matches to Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn, and it must improve its offensive output if it hopes to find success against the Gators. The Tigers have scored just one goal in their last three matches as senior forward Stacie McDougall scored her first goal of the season and third of her career in the second half against Alabama on Oct. 14.
Despite its recent struggles, Lee said he has been pleased with the mindset of his team heading into this weekend and that it is excited to compete against a team the quality of Florida.
“Their mindset will be just like it has been the rest of the season, which is really excellent,” Lee said. “They’ve approached each game as its own entity and its own personal challenge. We’ve prepared well this week, and we feel like we are ready for the challenge we face.”
The Gators are led by head coach Becky Burleigh and boast one of the strongest programs in the SEC. Florida has captured six conference titles in its history and became the only SEC team to win a national championship in 1998. This year is no different as the Gators are battling Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt for the SEC title and No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament.
“Becky is certainly one of the all-time greats in women’s college soccer,” Lee said. “What she has done at Florida is something we can all strive to achieve. She’s done a great job of recruiting, and that’s a big factor in Florida’s success in the past. Their team will definitely be strong across the board.”
The Tigers remain in contention for a berth in the SEC Tournament as they are currently in eighth place in the conference standings with seven points heading into play this weekend. Lee said he is pleased with the position his team finds itself at this point in the season, but that it must continue to compete if it hopes to make its first tournament appearance since 2002.
“We feel really good about our chances,” Lee said. “If you would have asked us at the beginning of the season could you have three games left and be sitting in eighth in the overall SEC standings and third in the SEC West, and really have destiny to your own control, we would have said let’s go and see how we do. We’re excited about what we can accomplish in the next 10 days.”
After facing Florida, the Tigers will return to Baton Rouge and the LSU Soccer Complex for Senior Day festivities in their final home match of the season against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday at 1 p.m.